LINCOLN  ROOM 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
LIBRARY 


MEMORIAL 

the  Class  of  1901 

founded  by 

HARLAN  HOYT  HORNER 

and 
HENRIETTA  CALHOUN  HORNER 


>  i  *V\ 


-       -   -* 


• 


ADAMS  COUNTY  COURT  HOUSE. 

LOCATED  AT  QUINCY,  ILL. 


REMINISCENCES 


QUINCY,  ILLINOIS, 


CONTAINING 

i 

HISTORICAL  EVENTS,  ANECDOTES,  MATTERS  CONCERNING  OLD 
SETTLERS  AND  OLD  TIMES,  ETC., 


HENRY    ASBURY. 


QUINCY,  ILL.: 
D.  WILCOX  &  SONS,  PRINTERS,  417  HAMPSHIRE  STREET, 

1882. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1881,  by 

HENRY   ASBURY, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


977, 


INTRODUCTORY  CHAPTER, 


|p||LMOST,  since  the  settlement  at  Jamestown,  Va.,  in  1607, 
jfyi|  and  the  subsequent  landing  and  more  permanent  settle- 
ment of  the  Pilgrims  at  Plymouth  in  1620,  there  has  grown  to 
be  a  laudable  custom  in  America  to  preserve  more  or  less  exten- 
sive histories  .of  the  early  times,  old  stories,  and  matters  of 
supposed  interest  pertaining  to  such  particular  localities  as 
challenge  the  allegiance  and  the  affections  of  pioneer  people. 

If  the  histories  of  Rome  go  back  to  Romulus  and  Remus, 
why  may  not  our  earliest  settlers,  such  as  John  Wood  and 
Willard  Keyes,  figure  in  the  history  of  Quincy.  Rome  at  the 
end  of  the  first  fifty  years  after  her  first  settlement  was  no  larger 
than  Quincy  is  now. 

In  writing  this  short  history  of  Quincy,  I  can  not  reasonably 
expect  to  avoid  such  errors  as  seem  predestined  to  creep  into 
every  book.  Though  this  book  will  most  probably  be  read 
by  but  few  outside  of  our  own  city  and  county,  I  desire  to  pre- 
serve in  it,  some  matters  of  a  wider  range. 

Who  was  the  first  white  man  that  visited  the  spot  now  covered 
by  our  city?  Of  course  this  inquiry  does  not  relate  to  prehis- 
toric times.  The  question  of  who  were  the  mound  builders, 
what  people  buried  their  dead  upon  our  Mount  Pisgah — the  high 
mound  through  which  Maine  street  was  opened  to  the  river — 
and  other  high  points  along  the  river  bluffs,  I  leave  for  others  to 
explain.  Historically,  we  know  that  Marquette,  the  French- 
man and  Roman  Catholic  Ecclesiastic,  discovered  the  upper 
Mississippi  river,  passed  down  this  river,  and  passed  the  present 
site  of  Quincy  (whether  he  landed  here  or  not  we  do  not  know) 
about  July,  1673.  He  was  probably  the  first  white  man  who 
looked  upon  our  bluffs.  But  coming  down  nearer  to  our  own 
times  we  find  that  in  1805,  or  probably  1806,  General  Zebulon 
S  Pike  (afterwards  killed  during  the  war  of  1812,  at  York,  in  Can- 
ada) was  ordered  by  the  war  department  to  ascend  the  Missis- 


sippi  from  St.  Louis  to  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  and  to  locate 
the  sites  of  a  number  of  forts  for  the  protection  of  the  frontier  at 
such  points  as  he  might  deem  most  suitable.  In  the  discharge 
of  this  duty,  he  selected  Fort  Edwards  (now  Warsaw),  Fort 
Madison,  Fort  Armstrong  (Rock  Island),  Fort  Crawford 
(Prairie  du  Chien),  and  Fort  Snelling,  near  the  Falls  of  St.  An- 
thony; all  of  these  forts  were  built  and  garrisoned  not  long 
afterwards. 

Fort  Madison,  at  or  near  the  present  town  of  Fort  Madison, 
Iowa,  was,  during  the  year  1812,  burned  down.  This  old  fort  was 
succeeded  by  the  new  fort,  built  some  years  afterwards.  It  was 
garrisoned  as  late  as  1835.  The  old  Fort  Edwards  at  Warsaw 
was  abandoned,  but  some  of  the  buildings  were  still  standing  in 
1835.  As  stated  by  an  authority  before  me,  General  Pike 
started  up  the  river  from  near  St.  Louis  on  Friday,  Aug.  9, 
1805,  with  one  sergeant,  three  corporals  and  seventeen  privates, 
in  a  keel-boat  seventy-five  feet  long,  provisioned  for  four  months, 
and  arrived  at  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony  Sept.  26,  thus  making 
the  voyage  of  about  800  miles  in  forty-eight  days,  or  making  the 
distance  of  twelve  and  a  half  miles  per  diem,  which  seems  very 
fast  keel-boat  traveling. 

The  expedition  left  their  keel-boat  at  the  Falls  and  proceeded 
some  distance  in  smaller  vessels  up  the  river,  above  the  falls, 
and  from  the  highest  point  they  reached  on  the  Mississippi,  they 
thence  started  by  land  through  the  wilderness  in  a  west  and 
southwestern  direction,  crossing  the  Missouri  river  and  extend- 
ing their  expedition  till  they  came  in  view  of  what  was  then  called 
the  Spanish  Mountains,  and  particularly  noting  that  high  peak 
of  mountain  now  known  as  Pike's  Peak — and  so  named  for 
General  Zebulon  Pike.  The  remnant  of  his  expedition  finally 
reached  the  Mississippi  river  and,  I  believe,  returned  to  their 
starting  point.  I  find  no  account  of  even  keel-boat  transporta- 
tion upon  the  upper  Mississippi  prior  to  the  ascent  of  General 
Pike  in  his  keel-boat  in  1805  or  1806.  After  the  establishment 
of  the  forts  their  supplies  were,  however,  for  a  time  furnished  by 
keel-boats,  and  up  to  the  time  of  the  introduction  of  steamboat 
navigation.  The  upper  Mississippi  had,  however,  been  early 
used  for  the  transportation  of  rafts  of  lumber,  and  by  Indian 
traders  in  the  use  of  the  small  keel-boat,  or  "Perogue." 

In  early  times  a  set  of  men,  called  half-breeds,  with  some 
pure-blooded  Indians  were  employed  as  keel-boat  men.  Mr. 
Hiram  Lindsay,  who  for  a  time  was  owner  or  supercargo  of 


one  or  more  of  these  boats,  told  the  writer  that  on  one  occasion 
his  crew  consisted  almost  entirely  of  Indians  of  the  Sack  or 
Saukee  tribe,  with  one  Kickapoo.  It  appears  that  on  one  occa- 
sion in  coming  up  the  river,  about  opposite  the  present  location 
of  Quincy,  in  some  way  the  Sacks  heard  that  one  of  their  tribe 
had  been  killed  by  the  Kickapoos.  It  was  solemnly  decided  by 
the  Saukees  that  the  Kickapoo  must  be  killed  in  retaliation. 
They  informed  the  Kickapoo  that  he  must  die,  and  that  he  was 
allowed  to  go  into  the  woods  (the  boat  then  being  tied  up  at  the 
shore)  and  sing  his  death  song,  being  watched  by  the  Saukees 
to  prevent  his  escape.  Mr.  Lindsay  said  he  never  heard  so 
doleful  a  noise  as  the  poor  Kickapoo  made  in  singing  his  death 
song,  which  consisted  mainly  of  the  following  expressions  in 
broken  English:  "O-o-o,  poor  one  Kickapoo  me;  whole  heap 
"of  Saukee!  O-o-o,  poor  one  Kickapoo  me,  whole,  whole  heap 
"of  Saukee!  O-o-o-o,  poor  one  Kickapoo  me,  whole,  whole, 
"whole  heap  of  Saukee!"  Mr.  Lindsay,  finding  out  what  was 
intended  by  the  Sacks,  with  much  trouble  managed  to  let  the 
Kickapoo  escape.  I  have  never,  since  hearing  this  story,  seen 
a  crowd  set  upon  one  man,  without  any  justification,  but  what  I 
have  thought  of  that  one  poor  Kickapoo  surrounded  by  a 
whole  heap  of  Saukees. 

Our  own  local  history  tells  that  our  first  settler  within  the 
original  limits  of  Quincy,  Willard  Keyes,  passed  down  the  river 
past  the  present  site  of  the  city  on  a  raft  of  lumber  on  the  loth 
of  May,  1819. 

Quincy  was  for  many  years,  and  still  is  substantially  in  a 
business  and  historical  point,  the  most  important  place  of  the  old 
Military  Bounty  Land  Tract.  Its  history  includes  somewhat  its 
surroundings,  and  particularly  the  laws  which  attach  to  its  locality. 
By  an  act  of  Congress  approved  May  6,  1812,  and  other  acts 
concerning  Military  Bounty  lands,  all  the  country  lying  between 
the  Mississippi  and  Illinois  rivers  at  far  up  as  15  north  of  the  base 
line,  as  the  same  was  afterwards  surveyed,  was  with  other  lands 
lying  in  the  territory  of  Michigan,  in  the  territory  of  Louisiana, 
afterwards  Missouri  and  Arkansas  set  apart  for  satisfying  the 
bounties  of  160  acres  promised  to  each  of  the  non-commissioned 
officers  and  soldiers  of  the  United  States. 

The  Illinois  Bounty  Land  Tract,  which  includes  Quincy  and 
Adams  County,  was  surveyed  by  the  government  during  the 
years  1815  and  1816.  The  title  to  the  whole  remained  in  the 
United  States  until  after  the  survey  and  distribution  of  the  lands 


by  patents  to  the  respective  soldiers  entitled  thereto,  so  that  no 
patents  or  deeds  to  any  part  thereof  were  recorded  in  any 
County  in  the  State,  until  after  the  issuing  of  such  patents. 
The  whole  of  the  land  in  this  Military  Bounty  Land  Tract  was 
not,  however,  patented  to  the  soldiers ;  a  large  portion  of  it  was 
afterwards  sold  by  the  government  to  purchasers. 

The  County  of  Madison,  the  present  boundaries  of  which  lie 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Illinois  river,  was  organized  by  proclama- 
mation  of  Gov.  Edwards,  March  14,  1812.  The  County  em- 
braced all  the  territory  lying  north  of  a  line  beginning  on  the 
Mississippi  river,  with  the  second  township  line  above  Cahokia, 
and  running  east  to  the  Indiana  territory — this  boundary  of 
Madison  County  thus  embraced  all  the  country  north  of  its  south 
line,  and  including  the  whole  Military  Tract  as  the  same  was 
afterwards  surveyed. 

An  act  to  form  a  new  county  on  the  Bounty  Lands  was  ap- 
proved Jan.  21,  1821.  It  defined  the  boundaries  of  Pike  County 
as  beginning  at  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois  river  and  running 
thence  up  the  middle  of  said  river  to  the  fork  of  the  same,  thence 
up  the  south  fork  of  said  river  until  it  strikes  the  State  line  of 
Indiana,  thence  north  with  said  line  to  the  north  boundary  line 
of  this  State,  thence  west  with  said  line  to  the  west  boundary 
line  of  this  State  and  thence  with  said  boundary  line  to  the  place 
of  beginning. 

Pike  County  thus  bounded  was  to  form  part  of  the  First 
Judicial  Circuit.  The  election  for  County  officers  which  com- 
pleted the  organization  of  "Old  Pike,"  took  place  at  Cole's 
Grove,  (now  Gilead,  in  Calhoun  County)  April  21,  1821. 

By  an  act  approved  Dec.  30,  1822,  the  County  of  Pike  was 
again  bounded  so  as  to  include  only  all  of  the  Military  Bounty 
Land  Tract  south  of  the  base  line,  but  all  the  rest  of  the  country 
or  territory  within  its  original  limits  was  still  attached  to  and 
made  a  part  of  the  County  until  otherwise  disposed  of  by  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  State. 

The  County  of  Fulton  was  organized  under  the  act  of  Jan. 
28,  1823,  and  contained  the  same  boundaries  as  at  present.  But 
the  act  provided  that  all  the  rest  and  residue  of  the  attached 
part  of  the  County  of  Pike  east  of  the  fourth  principal  meridian 
should  be  attached  to  and  made  a  part  of  said  County  of  Fulton 
until  otherwise  disposed  of  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
State. 


By  an  act  of  Jan.  10, 1825,  forming  new  Counties  out  of  Pike 
and  Fulton  Counties  and  attached  parts  thereof,  the  boundaries 
of  a  number  of  unorganized  Counties  were  defined.  Hancock 
was  attached  to  Adams,  and  all  that  tract  of  country  north  of 
Schuyler  and  Hancock,  and  west  of  the  fourth  principal  meridian, 
was  attached  to  Schuyler  for  all  County  purposes,  until  such 
time  as  it  shall  appear  to  the  Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  that  any 
of  these  unorganized  Counties  should  contain  three  hundred  and 
fifty  inhabitants,  when  the  Judge  was  required  to  grant  an  or- 
der for  an  election  of  County  officers,  which  election  was  to 
complete  the  organization  of  the  County. 

The  act  approved  Jan.  13,  1825,  among  other  things  therein 
provided  that  all  that  tract  of  country  within  the  following  boun- 
daries, to-wit:  Beginning  at  the  place  where  the  township  line 
between  townships  three  and  four  south  touches  the  Mississippi 
river,  thence  east  on  the  said  line  to  the  range  line  between 
ranges  four  and  five  west,  thence  north  on  said  range  line  to  the 
northeast  corner  of  township  two  north,  range  five  west,  thence 
west  on  said  township  line  to  the  Mississippi  river,  thence 
down  said  river  to  the  place  of  beginning, 'should  constitute  the 
County  of  Adams.  The  commissioners  appointed  by  the  act  to 
select  the  county  seat  were  Seymore  Kellogg  of  Morgan,  Joel 
Wright  of  Montgomery,  and  David  Button  of  Pike  County. 
Prior  to  the  passage  of  this  act,  John  Wood  made  in  the  Ed- 
wardsville  Spectator  the  notice  required  by  the  act  of  Jan.  30, 
1821,  for  the  organization  of  new  Counties. 

From  the  foregoing  acts  of  the  General  Assembly,  it  appears 
that  from  the  organization  of  Madison  County,  in  1812,  to  the 
organization  of  old  Pike  County,  in  1821,  deeds  for  lands  lying 
in  the  Bounty  Land  Tract  were  properly  recorded  in  Madison 
County.  Alter  the  formation  of  "Old  Pike"  for  a  time  and  until 
new  Counties  were  formed  out  of  her  immense  territory,  all  deeds 
for  lands  in  the  Military  Tract  were  properly  recorded  in  Pike 
County.  At  the  date  of  the  act  of  Jan.  21, 1821,  which  fixed  the 
boundaries  of  the  old  Pike  County,  the  whole  population  could 
not  have  exceeded  one  hundred  of  whites,  including  a  few  French 
families  upon  the  Illinois  river.  The  present  population  of  that 
territory  is  not  less  than  one  million.  After  the  organization  of 
Fulton  County,  in  1823,  deeds  for  lands  in  the  Military  Tract, 
and  all  east  of  the  fourth  principal  meridian,  were  properly 
recorded  in  Fulton  County,  until  the  organization  of  Counties 
lying  north  of  Fulton  proper.  After  the  act  of  January,  1825 


10 

forming  new  Counties  out  of  Pike  and  Fulton  Counties  and 
attached  parts  thereof,  the  County  of  Hancock  was  for  a  time 
attached  to  Adams,  and  so  thereafter  until  the  organization 
of  Hancock,  deeds  for  lands  in  that  County  were  properly 
recorded  in  Adams  County,  and  deeds  for  lands  lying  north 
of  Hancock  and  Schuyler  Counties  and  -west  of  the  fourth 
principal  meridian  were  properly  recorded  in  Schuyler  County, 
until  those  Counties  north  of  Hancock  were  organized.  After 
the  organization  of  any  County,  deeds  for  lands  in  that  County 
were  to  be  therein  recorded.  Hence  we  find  many  deeds  for 
lands  lying  in  the  Military  Tract  recorded  in  Madison  County 
prior  to  the  organization  of  Pike  in  1821.  Many  deeds  were 
afterwards  recorded  in  Pike  and  Schuyler  and  also  in  Fulton 
for  lands  lying  outside  of  said  Counties.  Adams  and  Schuyler 
were  both  organized  in  1825.  It  may  be  proper  to  state  here 
that  at  the  date  of  the  act  of  Congress  creating  the  Illinois 
territory  in  1809,  it  contained  but  two  Counties — St.  Clair  and 
Randolph — Cahokia  and  Kaskaskia  were  county  seats. 

Up  to  and  prior  to  the  laying  oft'  the  town  of  Quincy  and  the 
organization  of  the  County  in  1825,  or  within  a  short  time  there- 
after, there  were  residing  in  the  County  a  number,  but  not  a 
great  number  of  settlers.  In  the  town  itself,  on  the  Fourth  of 
July,  1825,  there  was  but  one  resident  within  its  original  limits, 
namely  Willard  Keyes,  who  had  erected  the  year  before  a  cabin 
16x16  feet,  near  what  is  now  the  corner  of  Vermont  and  Front 
streets.  The  cabin  of  Governor  Wood,  which  had  been  erected 
two  years  earlier,  lay  outside  of  the  orriginal  town  plat,  but  by 
extending  our  town  limits,  its  location  has  long  since  fallen 
within  the  present  limits  of  the  city. 


CHAPTER  I. 


AN  OUTLINE  OF  QUINCY  AS  SHE  Is  Now, 


PERHAPS  this  is  the  most  difficult  chapter  to  write  with 
satisfaction  both  for  the  writer  and  the  readers  of  our 
book.  Quincy  being  now  a  city  with  city's  ways  and  habits, 
and  no  longer  the  mere  village  of  the  olden  times,  presents  many- 
sided  views  and  interests,  all  having  just  claims  to  the  notice  of 
any  one  who  essays  to  write  her  history.  Besides  this  she  has 
many  men,  who,  though  no  more  inclined  to  demand  special  no- 
tice than  like  inhabitants  of  other  localities,  yet  may,  from  an 
individual  standpoint,  seem  to  us  to  claim  more  than  we  can 
give  within  our  limited  pages.  No  one  will  be  intentionally  left 
without  mention  in  this  book  because  he  does  not  subscribe  for 
a  copy.  This  book  is  not  written  for  an  advertising  medium 
for  our  professional  and  business  men  individually.  Without 
pictures,  or  other  mere  adventitious  displays,  it  is  modestly  sent 
forth  for  what  it  is  worth,  and  with  a  consciousness  on  my  part 
that  much  more  might  be  said  in  this  first  chapter  of  Quincy  as 
she  now  is,  of  many  individuals  who  have  lived  among  us  here, 
and  that  even  our  omissions  may  be  no  greater  than  our  sins  of 
commission,  I  yet  declare  that  nothing  is  herein  set  down  or 
omitted  in  this  or  succeeding  chapters  in  unkindness  to  any, 
challenging  all  my  readers  to  love  Quincy  as  well  as  I  do  love 
her,  and  asking  all  to  stand  by  her  to  the  last  as  among  the  first. 
I  shall  in  the  succeeding  chapters  try  to  note  as  fully  as  my 
space  will  allow,  the  incidents  and  somewhat  historical  events 
pertaining  to  Quincy  through  the  years  intervening  since  our 
first  settlement  to  substantially  the  present  time.  To  use  a 
figure  of  speech,  I  now  prefer  to  stand  upon  our  high- 
est pinacle,  and  look  back  from  the  dome  of  our  grand 


12 

Court  House  to  those  Indian  wigwams  and  tents  that  once  clus- 
tered along  our  river  front  and  "Old  Boston  Bay"  in  the  long 
time  ago. 

The  writer  can  not  here  and  now  give  even  the  names  and 
exact  number  of  all  our  professional  and  business  men.  If  we 
take  all  our  clergy,  bishops,  priests,  and  preachers,  including 
those  engaged  in  teaching,  we  shall  count  up  to  at  least  one 
hundred  of  them ;  and  yet  we  are  told  that  the  harvest  is  great 
whilst  the  laborers  are  few.  Yet  again  we  are  told,  very  truly 
to  our  shame,  that  the  money  harvest  is  never  too  great.  In 
fact  we  have  but  one  priest  that  cultivates  with  his  own  hands 
his  garden. 

Of  lawyers  we  have  here  now  at  least  as  many  as  sixty.  As 
I  am  a  lawyer  myself,  I  feel  sure  that  my  brethren  will  not  ex- 
pect me  to  shed  much  ink  over  them — they  will  surely  speak 
for  themselves — if  they  are  of  any  account. 

Dropping  the  professional  standpoint  I  may  say  in  the  name 
of  Quincy — that  in  a  long  pull,  and  a  strong  pull,  and  a  pull 
altogether,  as  they  say  at  sea — all  our  strictly  professional 
classes  together  have  not  greatly  helped  to  build  up  our  town  in 
any  material  sense,  though  many  of  them  have  been  and  others 
are  among  our  most  honored  citizens.  The  men  who  have 
built  houses,  and  those  who  conduct  manufactories,  and  give 
large  employment  to  useful  labor,  are  and  were  the  men  who 
built  our  city  and  who  mainly  now  maintain  it.  If  this  class  of 
citizens  would  look  a  little  more  into  the  matter  of  our  elections, 
it  would  be  well  for  all. 

In  the  United  States,  as  our  new  settlements  advance  to  the 
frontier,  they  establish  among  themselves,  first  the  blacksmith 
shop,  the  wagon  and  plowmakers  shops,  the  family  grocery 
and  the  store.  The  baker  comes  along  after.  These  settle- 
ments do  not  wait  long,  as  in  the  case  of  Quincy,  before  they 
have  both  the  law  and  lawyers  and  the  gospel  and  the 
preachers. 

I  can  not  exactly  state  who  were  our  first  wagon  and  carriage 
makers.  Of  those  living,  Amzi  C.  Root,  now  80  years  of  age, 
was  among  the  first,  though  Carter  &  Walker  were  here  before 
or  about  the  same  time,  1834,  and  also  John  Epple,  Timothy 
Rogers,  in  1837  or  1838,  Knapheide  soon  after.  There  is  still 
here,  their  representatives  in  the  same  business,  to  a  large  ex- 
tent increased  and  diversified,  and  most  prominent  W.  T.  &  E. 
A.  Rogers.  This  firm,  in  the  various  extent  of  its  business  and 


13 

dealings,  make  a  large  factor  in  the  business  of  the  city.  The 
name  of  the  old  Knapheide  wagon  may  also  still  be  seen  upon 
our  streets. 

The  very  important  and  extensive  manufactory  of  W.  H. 
Collins  &  Co.,  engaged  in  plow/-making  and  of  agricultural  imple- 
ments, is  now  and  bids  fair  to  become  one  of  the  largest  factories 
in  this  part  of  the  State. 

In  the  matter  of  carriage  manufactories,  the  firm  of  E.  M. 
Miller  &  Co.  have*  become  almost,  if  not  quite  national  in  the 
extent  of  their  dealings.  There  are  here  a  number  of  other 
meritorious  firms  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  both  wagons 
and  carriages,  so  that  these  branches  of  business  are  quite  ex- 
tensively carried  on  and  yearly  increasing. 

Our  oldest  cabinet-maker  still  living  is  Adam  Schmitt,  long 
since  out  of  business.  Frederick  W.  Jansen,  whose  sons  now 
represent  the  firm  of  F.  W.  Jansen  &  Son,  now  large  manufac- 
turers, was  here  as  early  as  1836  or  1837.  The  present  firm  in 
their  business  have  become  the  head  of  the  class  of  furniture 
manufacturers  among  us.  Mr.  Jansen,  the  father,  universally  re- 
spected, died  some  years  since  and  his  sons  have  retained  the  name 
of  the  firm  of  which  their  father  died  a  member.  We  have 
many  other  important  manufacturers  of  furniture,  besides  several 
heavy  dealers  in  that  branch  of  trade. 

Among  foundrymen  the  earliest,  and  for  years  the  most  im- 
portant, was  the  firm  of  Collins,  Comstock  &  Co.  This  firm 
has  from  time  to  time  changed  its  members,  but  yet  substantially 
exists  under  the  name  of  Comstock,  Castle  &  Co.  The  business 
of  this  house  has  been  mostly  confined  to  the  manufacture  of 
stoves.  The  old  and  reliable  Thomas  White  stove  foundry,  the 
Bonnet,  Duffy  &  Co.  stove  foundry,  and  the  newest,  that  of 
Channon,  Emerjr  &  Co.,  besides  some  others,  are  all  important 
and  likely  to  succeed  and  prosper. 

Of  machine  shops,  coupled  with  castings  and  engine-making, 
at  this  time  the  most  important  is  the  Eagle  Foundry  of  Smith, 
Hill  &  Co.  Our  earliest  machine  shops  were  those  of  Green- 
leaf,  Worrell  &  Caldwell,  Gardner  &  Mitchell,  and  Brown, 
Dimock  &  Co.  The  Steam  Governor  Works  of  R.  W.  Gard- 
ner is  in  many  respects  the  most  interesting,  well  managed  and 
profitable  concerns  in  the  State.  Ertle's  Portable  Hay  Press, 
like  Gardner's  Governor,  is  especially  a  Quincy  institution  and 
possesses,  as  it  is  alleged,  great  merit. 


14 

Every  form  of  mechanical  industry  for  the  retail  and  custom 
demands  of  the  community  are  here  carried  on  to  a  large  ex- 
tent. From  the  whistling  shoemaker,  who  hammers  his  sole 
on  the  lap-stone,  to  the  sturdy  blacksmith,  whose  blows  make 
the  fire  fly  at  every  stroke,  the  work  goes  bravely  on,  and 
Heaven  smiles — we  more  than  get  even  with  the  so-called  curse 
of  labor — making  it  our  greatest  blessing. 

Among  very  important  manufacturing  establishments,  we 
may  rank  that  of  the  Quincy  Paper  Company,  carried  on  for  the 
manufacture  of  coarse  paper  and  straw  boards,  and  of  which  R. 
F.  Newcomb  is  president.  This  company  has  created  here  a 
large  demand  for  straw,  which  used  to  be  burned  up  or  left  to 
rot,  without  being  in  any  way  utilized.  This  company  gives 
large  employment  to  labor,  and  is  therefore  our  friend. 

The  Barlow  Rotary,  the  Quincy,  and  the  Vandiver  Corn 
Planter  Company  occupy  large  space,  employ  many  men  and 
much  capital. 

Of  agricultural  warehouses,  where  all  manner  of  labor-saving 
machinery  and  instruments  are  on  sale,  we  have  the  extensive 
house  of  Pope,  Baldwin  &  Co.,  Wenzel  &  Co.,  and  many  others. 

One  of  our  modest,  but  growing  and  interesting  manufactur- 
ing and  mechanical  concerns  is  the  Gem  City  File  Works, 
owned  by  A.  C.  Bickhaus.  Forty  years  ago  there  was  not  per- 
haps a  single  manufactory  of  this  kind  in  the  entire  State.  We 
have  had  to  await  the  arrival  trom  Europe  of  such  skilled  work- 
men as  were  capable  of  doing  the  work  which  this  house  is  now 
turning  out  with  great  success. 

The  firm  of  F.  W.  Menke  &  Co.,  contractors  and  furnishers 
of  sawed  and  cut  stone,  is  a  most  important  factor  in  building. 

Of  organ  factories,  we  have  that  of  "The  Whitney  &  Holmes 
Organ  Company,"  besides  one  or  more  other  factories  of  the 
kind. 

Of  tobacco  and  cigar  manufactories,  we  have  the  Gem  City 
Tobacco  Works,  that  of  The  Wellman  &  Dwire  Tobacco  Com- 
pany, that  of  Joel  H.  Harris'  Sons,  that  of  Kingsbaker  Bros., 
that  of  Bader  &  Hartung,  and  perhaps  twenty  or  more  smaller 
factories  and  shops,  some  of  them,  however,  doing  a  large  busi- 
ness. 

In  the  matter  of  breweries,  the  first  in  extent  is  that  of  Dick 
Bros.,  the  Eber  Brewing  Company,  and  some  five  or  six  others. 
This  branch  of  industry  is  extensive  and  successful,  Our  first 
brewery  was  built  by  Anton  Delabar  as  early  as  1837,  1  think. 


15 

As  pertaining  to  our  facilities  in  building,  there  are  here  a 
number  of  planing  mills,  as  that  of  Orr  &  Hodgden,  contractors, 
that  of  Peter  H.  Meyer,  contractor,  and  several  others  in  pro- 
cess of  erection. 

The  hardware  business  here  is  extensive  and  meritorious. 
The  wholesale  house  of  Coxe  &  Coxe,  the  wholesale  and  retail 
business  of  Cottrell,  and  that  of  the  Tenks,  the  oldest  house,  and 
others  can  supply  all  demands,  and  affording  competition  in  both 
home  and  outside  dealings. 

The  wholesale  house  of  Wood  Bros.,  dealers  in  hats,  caps,  &c., 
the  retail  establishment  of  George  J.  Laage  &  Co.,  the  oldest, 
with  many  other  houses  here  in  that  line  of  trade,  can  furnish  all 
needed  coverings  for  the  head. 

In  the  matter  of  boots  and  shoes,  the  wholesale  house  of 
Kingsbury,  Blasland  &  Co.,  that  of  Upham,  Gordon  &  Co.,  and 
others,  command  extensive  trade,  while  of  retail  stores  of  these 
articles  there  is  no  end. 

The  wholesale  dry  goods  business,  after  some  old  time 
houses,  long  since  extinct,  may  now  be  represented  first  by 
Isaac  Lesem  &  Co.,  and  others,  while  of  wholesale  and  retail 
dry  goods  and  notion  houses,  the  first  in  point  of  time,  still 
in  existence  is  that  of  Joseph,  Nelke  &  Co. 

Of  wholesale  grocers  we  have  Meyer  &  Kespohl,  Austin  & 
Kohl,  Tripp  &  Manson,  and  others.  There  are  no  doubt  many 
other  houses  embracing  with  their  retail  business  the  selling  by 
wholesale  also ;  and  this  applies  to  nearly  every  branch  of  mer- 
chandising carried  on  here  to  some  extent. 

Of  the  retail  dry  goods  business  of  Quincy,  if  I  attempted  to 
go  into  details  as  to  names,  locations,  &c.,  my  book  would  not 
hold  them  all.  The  oldest  living  retail  dry  goods  merchant  now 
here  is  James  Fisher.  Of  Quincy  and  her  retail  dry  goods 
houses,  I  may  add  that  they  are  numerous  and  prosperous, 
selling  at  city  prices,  and  being  able  to  supply  the  large  demand 
both  for  home  and  outside  customers. 

The  retail  grocery  and  provision  stores  of  Quincy  are  numer- 
ous and  especially  meritorious,  extensive  and  generally  well  and 
safely  conducted. 

In  the  matter  of  fish  and  oyster  depots  we  have  several.  No 
man  need  fail  to  have  a  fashionable  and  good  old  time  orthodox 
dinner,  including  fish  and  oysters,  if  he  can  pay  even  a  reasonable 
price.  Our  Mississippi  black  bass  still  stands  at  the  head;  lake 
fish  and  fish  from  the  sea  can  be  had  at  all  seasonable  times. 


16 

Our  butchers  are  numerous  and  generally  furnish  most  excel- 
lent meats,  from  the  blue  ribbon  premium  sort  down  to  a 

roasting  pig. 

Of  those  occupations  somewhat  in  the  line  of  specialties,  I  note 

the  extensive  concern  of  Pond,  Distin  &Co.,  dealers  in  eggs, 
butter,  &c.  This  business  is  very  large,  and  their  principal 
business  house  is  quite  attractive.  Solomon  Stahl  &  Son, 
wholesale  dealers  in  eggs,  butter,  poultry  and  game,  do  a  large 

business. 

In  the  line  of  saddlery,  leather,  &c.,  the  wholesale  house  of 
"The  J.  B.  Schott  Saddlery  Company"  furnish  to  customers 
any  required  amount  of  goods.  Of  saddle  and  harness  makers 
we  have  here  more  than  twenty  at  least,  some  of  them  doing 
a  very  large  business. 

In  the  trade  in  hides,  furs,  &c.,  including  dealing  in  wool,  the 
firms  of  F.  Silberman  &  Bros.,  and  that  of  H.  Hirsch  &  Co.,  and 
others,  do  a  large  and  profitable  business. 

In  the  business  of  manufacturing  crackers,  Quincy  has  for 
many  years  held  a  prominent  position,  going  back  to  that  king 
of  the  trade,  Kendall.  Our  oldest  firm  now  is  that  Brown 
Bros.  &  Co.,  Clark  &  Morgan,  John  Wessels,  and  many 
other,  many  of  them  doing  large  wholesale  business. 

Our  bankers  are  L.  &  C.  H.  Bull,  the  First  National  Bank, 
the  Union  Bank  and  the  Ricker  National  Bank  of  Quincy. 

Of  book  stores,  wholesale  and  retail,  we  have  first  and  oldest 
that  of  J.  R.  Dayton  &  Co.,  that  ot  T.  D.  Woodruff,  and  of  re- 
tail book  and  stationery  stores,  that  of  J.  R.  Skinner  and  others. 

In  the  wholesale  drug  business,  we  have  the  house  of  Som- 
mer,  Lynds  &  Co.,  a  large  establishment  embracing  white  lead, 
oils,  paints,  &c. ;  and  of  those  houses  engaged  in  both  wholesale 
and  retail  business,  those  of  Montgomery  &  Co.,  Schroeder, 
Miller,  Terdenge  &  Co.,  and  many  others. 

Our  mills  and  manufactories  of  flour  are  quite  excellent,  and 
some  of  them  early  distinguished.  The  Eagle  Mills  is  the 
legitimate  successor  of  that  built  by  J.  E.  Jones,  Jones  & 
Wheeler,  Jones,  Wheeler  &  Osborn,  and  go  back  nearly  forty 
years.  In  its  day  this  old  mill  carried  for  Quincy,  even  in 
Europe,  a  good  name  for  first  class  flour.  Now  we  have  many 
others  equally  good,  as  that  of  the  Whitmore  Bros.,  the  Tellico, 
and  many  others. 

Of  wholesale  and  retail  crockery  and  glassware  establish- 
ments, perhaps  the  largest  is  that  of  H.  Ridder  &  Co.,  of  F.  A. 
Everett,  and  that  of  Gerry  &  Son,  and  others. 


17 

A  comparatively  new,  though  long  needed  store,  has  sprung 
up  here  in  that  of  the  Eber  &  Walters  seed  and  fruit  store. 
This  house  sells  seeds  of  every  kind,  from  a  turnip  seed  to  a 
rutabaga  turnip  itself.  They  seem  to  have  mainly  succeeded 
to  a  large  part  of  the  apple  trade  at  this  point.  Their  continued 
success  is  universally  desired. 

Forty  years  ago  the  great  Laboratory  of  Nature  had  not  pro- 
duced from  the  ground  that  wonderful  product  now  known  as 
petroleum  or  coal  oil,  and  which  should  soon  become  one  of  the 
most  important  articles  of  commerce;  yet  now  in  the  single 
house  of  Henry  A.  Williamson,  commission  merchant  and  dealer 
in  coal  and  other  oils,  there  is  carried  on  here  one  of  the  largest 
business  concerns  in  our  city. 

Nor  have  we  until  within  a  few  years  fully  realized  and 
utilized  our  very  superior  limestone  hid  away  in  our  bluffs. 
Now  Quincy  lime  has  become  celebrated  in  every  direction  as 
nearly  the  best  in  the  world. 

In  that  very  important  branch  of  business,  the  lumber  trade, 
in  which  Quincy  has  for  years  been  well  represented,  we  have 
now  and  first,  the  Quincy  Lumber  Company,  D.  D.  Meriam 
&  Son,  A.  S.  Meriam,  Flack  &  Bristol,  and  many  others. 

Of  our  merchant  tailors  and  of  our  wholesale  and  retail 
clothing  stores,  I  remember  that  the  oldest  merchant  tailor  (if 
we  give  him  the  credit,  to  which  he  is  entitled,  of  his  father's 
establishment,  ol  whom  he  is  the  legitimate  successor)  is  J.  Phil. 
Bert,  Finlay  Brothers,  Alois  Gatz,  and  others  without  number. 
In  the  wholesale  and  retail  clothing  business  we  have  J.  D.  Leyy 
&  Co.,  Jonas  Meyer,  J.  Parkhurst,  J.  Stern  &  Sons,  Thompson 
&  Bowles,  and  many  others,  too  many  to  mention.  The 
clothing  business  is  full. 

In  the  matter  of  watches  and  jewelry  and  silver  and  gold 
utensils  and  ornaments  none  need  go  astray,  with  Huffman, 
Hosmer  Bros.,  and  many  others.  '  The  oldest,  old-fashioned, 
most  reliable  and  honest,  old  time  silversmith  and  jeweler  is 
William  H.  Gage. 

And  now  having  got  upon  us  our  clothing,  watches  and 
jewelry,  we  turn  cautiously  to  the  places  where  at  wholesale,  or 
at  least  not  less  than  a  jug-full,  our  readers  may  get  something 
to  drink,  too  much  of  which  brings  oblivious  sleep,  without 
pleasant  dreams.  Some  of  our  largest  wholesale  liquor  houses, 
for  the  sale  of  wines,  liquors,  &c.,  are  those  of  J.  H.  Duker  & 
Bro.,  Adamy,  Blutgut,  and  many  others. 


18 

But  the  foregoing  sketch  of  Quincy  as  she  is,  can  only  be 
considered  a  mere  outline  of  the  whole  picture.  It  was  found 
impossible  to  go  into  greater  details.  Our  readers  must  feel 
assured  that  beneath  this  general  sketch  of  material  Quincy, 
there  lies  unnoted  even  ten  times  more  than  is  therein  definitely 
presented.  Country  merchants  may  now  here  purchase  and  lay 
in  from  time  to  time,  according  to  the  demands  of  their  respective 
local  dealings,  all  needful  articles  and  supplies  of  merchandise 
suitable  to  their  stores  and  business,  including  dry  goods, 
groceries,  tinware,  crockery  ware,  glassware,  hardware,  agri- 
cultural implements,  wagons,  plows,  reapers,  iron,  steel,  nails, 
paints  and  oils,  leather,  and  indeed  everything  needed  in  a  variety 
store,  and  all  at  the  lowest  prices,  being  assured  that  even  our 
local  competitions,  necessarily  bring  down  prices  to  the  lowest 
living  standards. 

The  population  of  Quincy  by  the  United  States  census  of 
1880  gives  us  only  30,000  inhabitants — perhaps  not  enough  by 
some  thousands.  Our  real  number  of  population  now,  in  1882, 
should  stand  at  about  33,000. 

As  showing  in  a  degree  what  this  point  amounts  to  in  the 
trade,  commerce  and  manufactures  of  the  West,  we  insert  the 
following: 

The  commercial  interests  of  Quincy  are  varied  and  extensive, 
embracing  every  branch  of  trade.  Below  is  given  a  tabulated 
statement  of  the  number  of  firms,  the  amount  of  capital  invested, 
and  the  value  of  sales  of  jobbing  and  retail  houses  in  1881: 

Capital  Value  of 

No.       Kind  of  Business.                                           Invested.  Sales. 

6  Agricultural  Warehouses $125,000  $   430,000 

8  Books,  etc 100,000  225,000 

19  Boots  and  Shoes 250,000  1,100,000 

5  Butter  and  Eggs 125,000  450,000 

24  Clothing .-. 320,000  950,000 

4  Coal  Dealers 100,000  200,000 

2  Coal  Oil,  Salt,  etc 75,000  300,000 

6  Crockery,  etc 60,000  180,000 

25  Drugs,  Paints,  etc 475,000  1,067,000 

25  Dry  Goods 550,000  1,500,000 

31  Groceries 750,000  2,832,000 

6  Hardware,  etc 250,000  610,000 

8  Hats  and  Caps 105,000  350,000 

6  Hides,  Furs,  etc , 165,000  1,000,000 

25  Ice 300,000  400,000 

11  Jewelry 65,000  180,000 

13  Liquors  and  Wines 250,000  950,000 


19 

Capital 
No.        Kind  of  Business.  Invested. 

16  Merchant  Tailors.. 140,000 

20  Millinery 75,000 

3  Mouldings 30,000 

3. Musical  Goods 37,000 

2  Notions  and  Toys 50,000 

2  Oysters  and  Fish 10,000 

2  Paper  and  Paper  Bags 28,000 

•1  Seeds 40,000 

8  Sewing  Machines 50,000 

13  Stoves  and  Tinware 80,000 

9  Wood  Dealers 95,000 


Va^lue  of 

Sales. 

495,000 

235,000 

75,000 

95,000 

300,000 

20,000 

136,000 

,  90,000 

125,000 

200,000 

250,000 


$4,700,000  $14,745,000 

The  manufactories  of  Quincy,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  following 
statements  of  the  number  of  firms  and  the  value  of  the  products, 
for  the  past  year,  are  in  a  highly  prosperous  condition: 

Capital  Value  of 

No.        Kind  of  Business.                                             Invested.  Products. 

4  Agricultural  Implements,  Plows,  etc $350,000  $    700,000 

2  Baking  Powder 16,000  45,000 

2  Blank  Books,  Binding,  etc 20,000  80,000 

2  Boiler  Works 20,000  50,000 

6  Breweries 300,000  500,000 

13  Brickyards 100,000  250,000 

30  Builders  and  Contractors 250,000  .425,000 

4  Carriage  Factories 325,000  500,000 

46  Cigar  Manufactories 90,000  140,000 

10  Confectionery,  etc 75,000  500,000 

40  Coopershops 100,000  300,000 

2  Corn  Planters 100,000  250,000 

1  File  Works 12,000  45,000 

11  Flouring  Mills 600,000  750,000 

6  Furniture  Factories 200,000  500,000 

1  Gas  Works 300,000  140,000 

2  Haypress  Works 60,000  120.000 

2  Heating  Furnaces 40,000  90,000 

7  Lime  and  Cement 150,000  300,000 

6  Lumber,  Saw  Mills,  etc 450,000  1,000,000 

3  Marble  Works 14,000  40,000 

9  Printing  Offices 200,000  220,000 

3  Organ  Factories 60,000  200,000 

1  Paper  Boxes 10,000  20,000 

1  Paper  Mill , 120,000  300,000 

5  Planing  Mills 250,000  500,000 

6  Pork  Packers 200,000  400,000 

30  Saddlery,  etc 130,000  400,000 

2  Shirt  Factories 15,000  30,000 

2  Show  Cases 11,000  25,000 


20 

Capital  Value  of 

No.        Kind  of  Business.                                           Invested.  Products. 

1  Stone  Saw  Mill 35,000  50,000 

8  Stove  Works,  etc 700,000  -1,200,000 

1  Steam  Governor  Works 100,000  130,000 

1  Soap  Chandlers,  etc 25,000  175,000 

3  Tobacco  Works 500,000  2,000,000 

2  Trunk  Factories 20,000  50,000 

15  Wagon  Factories 4 200,000  325,000 

1  Waterworks 250,000  100,000 

1  Woodenware  Works 15,000  22,000 


16,413,000          $14,872,000 

These  statements  are  from  the  Quincy  Whig  of  January  i, 
1882,  and  also  the  further  statement  that  improvements  in  build- 
ing, public  and  private,  for  the  year  1881,  amounted  to  the  gross 
sum  of  $935,500.  Freights  forwarded,  578,440,  and  received, 
564,320  tons.  The  capacity  of  some  twenty  icehouses  here  be- 
ing in  gross  173,000  tons.  The  total  internal  revenue  tax  col- 
lected here  for  1881  amounted  to  $1,188,669.13. 

Of  our  means  of  commercial  intercourse  with  other  points  in 
our  widely  extended  country,  through  the  channel  of  the  great 
Mississippi  river  and  by  road,  it  is  sufficient  to  say,  that  we  may 
go  or  send  to  every  point,  with  dispatch,  or  receive  all  we  may 
need  or  use  of  the  various  products  of  the  United  States,  or 
from  Europe.  From  our  own  depots,  we  may  start  and  reach, 
without  unreasonable  changes  of  modes  of  conveyance,  any 
point  in  our  broad  land — the  northern  lakes,  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
the  Atlantic  States  and  ocean,  or  the  far  western  regions  of  the 
Pacific.  Such  are  our  facilities  in  this  regard,  having  now  eight 
railroads  and  our  river,  that  it  now  becomes  unimportant  to 
enter  into  details  as  to  the  lines  of  transportation  within  our 
grasp.  Of  our  population  or  inhabitants,  the  time  has  passed 
for  recording  the  names  of  countries  from  which  they  originally 
came.  Every  advancing  year  more  and  more  obliterates  the 
original  individual  nationalities  of  our  people.  To  be  a  citizen 
of  Quincy,  and  of  the  United  States,  is  now  of  first  importance. 
The  general  public  has  little  concern  now  as  to  where  a  man 
was  born.  To  be  a  good  and  an  honest  man  is  of  much  more 
importance. 

Upon  the  religious  question  always  present  with  mankind 
since  the  days  of  Cain  and  Abel.  Our  fathers  of  the  Revolution 
in  forming  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  made  it  impos- 
sible for  this  or  any  coming  generation,  in  our  country,  to  create 
and  maintain  an  established  Church,  or  the  establishment  by 


21 


law  of  a  Catholic  Church  or  a  Protestant  Church,  yet  leaving  all 
lawfully  free  to  worship  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  con- 
science and  reason.  To  the  thoughtful  reader  of  history,  this 
proposition  may  involve  a  doubt  as  to  how  much  the  citizens  of 
the  United  States  may  have  lost  as  well  as  gained  by  our  free- 
dom. Of  one  thing  we  all  may,  however,  rest  assured,  this 
country  will  never  go  back  to  the  times  of  Constantine  the 
Great  in  restoring  to  the  State  the  administration  of  the  affairs 
of  religion. 

Quincy  in  her  municipal  government,  like  every  other  city  of 
the  United  States,  has  not  always  elected  her  best  and  most 
suitable  men  for  office.  The  best  man  seldom  is  willing  to  ac- 
cept office.  The  best  men  are  generally  business  men,  who  at- 
tend to  their  own  private  affairs.  The  following  is  a  full  list  of 
mayors  of  the  City  of  Quincy,  most  of  them  good  men,  as  the 
world  goes,  some  of  them  pre-eminently  so: 


Ebenezer  Moore 1840 

Same  1841 

Enoch  Conyers 1842 

Same  1843 

John  Wood 1844 

Same     1845 

Same      1846 

Same     1847 

John  Abbe 1848 

Samuel  Holmes 1849 

Same  1850 

Same  1851 

John  Wood 1852 

Same 1853 

James  M.  Pitman 1854 

Same  1855 

John  Wood 1856 

Sylvester  Thayer 1857 

James  M.  Pitman 1858 

Robert  S.  Benneson 1859 

Thomas  Jasper.: 1860 

J.  O.  Woodruff  (resigned) 1861 


Thomas  Redmond. 1861 

Same  1862 

Same  1863 

Same  1864 

Frederick  G.  Waldhaus 1865 

Maitland  Boon 1866 

James  M.  Pitman 1867 

Presley  W.  Lane 1868 

Benjamin  F.  Berrian 1869 

Joseph  G.  Rowland 1870 

Same  1871 

Same  1872 

Frederick  Rearick 1873 

Same 1874 

Jacob  M.  Smith 1875 

E  H.  Turner 1876 

L.  D.  White 1877 

W.  T.  Rogers 1878 

Same       1879 

J.  K.  Webster 1880 

Same         1881 

D.  F.  Deaderick...  ,...1882 


NUMBER  OF  TERMS  SERVED. 


Moore 2  Terms 

Conyers 2      " 

Wood 7      " 

Holmes 3      " 

Pitman ...A      " 


Redmond 4  "Terms 

Rowland 3      " 

Rogers 2      " 

Webster 2      " 

All  others  but  for  one  term. 


In  all  to  1882  we  have  had  twenty-three  mayors  of  the  City 
of  Quincy,  now  all  dead  but  eleven. 


CHAPTER  II. 


EVHNTS  AND  SHORT  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  OF  EARLIEST 

SETTLERS. 


?HERE  were  residing  in  the  County  prior  to  or  soon  after 
the  organization  of  the  County,  under  the  act  of  January 
13,  1825,  John  Wood,  Jeremiah  Rose,  Willard  Keyes,  Henry 
H.  Snow,  Earl  Pierce,  Justus  I.  Perigo,  Daniel  Lisle,  Levi  Wells, 
Levi  Hadley,  who  became  the  first  sheriff  of  the  County,  Joshua 
Streeter,  Asher  Anderson,  Daniel  Whipple,  Peter  Journey,  Ira 
Pierce,  Samuel  Stone,  Asa  Tyrer,  Mr.  Wiggle  Sr.,  George 
Wolf,  Jacob  Crow,  Michael  Dodd,  George  Campbell,  Silas 
Brooks,  Samuel  C.  Grubbs,  Thomas  McCreary,  Rufus  Brown, 
Robert  Tillson,  and  some  others. 

The 'list  of  grand  jurors  for  the  first  Circuit  Court,  held  Octo- 
ber 31,  1825,  were  as  follows,  viz.:  Morrell  Marston,  Lewis 
Kinney,  Joshua  Streeter,  Samuel  Groshong,  John  Wood,  John 
Droulard,  Ira  Pierce,  Amos  Bancroft,  Daniel  Moore,  John 
Thomas,  William  Burritt,  Zeheniah  Ames,  Ebenezer  Hark- 
ness,  Cyrus  Hibbard,  Luther  Whitney,  Hiram  R.  Hawley, 
Benjamin  McNitt,  and  Samuel  Stone.  Marston  was  made 
foreman.  Several  of  the  grand  jurors  were  of  Hancock  County, 
that  County  being  attached  to  Adams,  as  before  mentioned.  At 
the  election  for  Sheriff,  County  Commissioners  and  Coroner, 
July  2,  1825,  the  entire  vote  of  the  County  did  not  exceed,  we 
believe,  seventy-five.  This  election  completed  the  organization 
of  the  County  of  Adams,  making  Quincy  the  county  seat.  The 
first  County  Court  was  held  July  4,  1825,  two  days  after  the 
election. 

Prior  to  this  organization  we  have  found  that  the  County  con- 
tained, including  Hancock  County,  a  population  of  sufficient 
number  to  cast  seventy -five  votes  at  the  first  election,  and  it  will 
be  proper  here  to  take  some  notice  of  the  men  and  occurring 
events  prior  thereto,  covering  the  period  from  the  first  settle- 


23 

ment  of  the  territory  embraced  in  Adams  County  and  the  Town 
01  Quincy  up  to  July  4,  1825.  John  Wood,  by  common  testi- 
mony, may  be  regarded  as  the  first  settler  within  the  present 
limits  of  Quincy.  He  died  here  June  4,  1880. 

John  Wood  was  born  in  Moravia,  Cayuga  County,  New 
York;  was  the  only  son  of  Dr.  Daniel  Wood  and  Catherine 
(Grouse)  Wood.  Doctor  Wood,  his  father,  was  an  officer  in  the 
war  of  the  Revolution,  and  a  man  of  large  attainments  as  a 
scholar  and  linguist,  and  after  the  close  of  the  revolutionary  war 
settled  in  Cayuga  County,  where  he  died  at  the  advanced  age 
of  92  years.  His  body,  in  after  years,  was  exhumed  by  his  son, 
and  is  now  in  Woodland  Cemetery.  "John  Wood,  when  about 
20  years  of  age,  left  home  for  the  West,  November  2, 1818,  with 
the  half-formed  intention  of  settling  in  the  Tennessee  or  Tus- 
cumbia  Valley  of  northern  Alabama.  He  passed  the  following 
winter  in  Cincinnati,  came  to  Shawneetown,  111.,  in  the  summer 
of  1819,  and  spent  the  succeeding  winter  in  Calhoun  (then  part 
of  Madison)  County.  In  March,  1820,  in  company  with  Willard 
Keyes,  he  located  in  Pike  County,  thirty  miles  southeast  of 
Quincy,  and  'farmed  it'  for  two  years."  During  the  spring  of 
1821  Mr.  Wood  first  visited  the  present  site  of  Quincy,  then 
uninhabited,  and  soon  after  purchased  a  quarter-section  of  land 
near  by,  and  in  the  following  fall,  1822,  erected  a  cabin,  18  by  20 
feet — the  first  building  in  Quincy,  though  not  within  the  original 
town.  Major  Rose  and  family  resided  in  this  house  with 
Mr.  Wood  for  some  time.  He  originated  the  project  for  the 
organization  of  Adams  County,  and  stood  by  the  movement 
until  it  was  completed.  In  1827  Mr.  Wood  temporarily  resided 
at  the  lead  mines  at  Galena,  but  substantially  he  resided  in 
Quincy  from  1822  till  his  death  in  1880,  or  for  fifty-eight  years. 
In  1848  he,  with  his  two  elder  sons,  visited  California  and  staid 
nearly  a  year,  and  twenty  years  later  he  took  an  overland  trip 
to  the  Pacific  coast,  witnessing  its  wonderful  development. 
"Moral  or  physical  fear  John  Wood  never  had.  Some  years 
since,  when  on  a  trip  to  the  Pacific  coast,  the  steamer  on  which 
he  and  his  wife  were  traveling  from  San  Francisco  to  a  port  in 
Southern  California  ran  upon  a  rock  and  was  wrecked.  The 
captain,  an  experienced  and  capable  officer,  sustained  the  disci- 
pline of  the  ship,  so  difficult  on  such  occasions  to  maintain, 
and  was  aided  by  the  commanding  bearing  of  Governor  Wood. 
When  the  boats  were  prepared  and  the  women  and  children 
placed  in  them,  the  captain,  standing  by  the  gangway,  said: 


24 

'Now,  Governor  Wood,  you  take  your  place.'     The  answer  was: 
'Send  these  young   folks  first.      I'm   70  years  old.     Save  the 
young.' "     "Throughout  all  the  succeeding  years  after  his  first 
settlement  he  was  necessarily  prominently  identified  with  every 
measure  of  Quincy's  progress  and   history, — and  almost  con- 
stantly kept  in  public  position.     He  was  one  of  the  volunteers  in 
the  noted  Black  Hawk  war  in  1832,  when  nearly  every  able- 
bodied  man  in  Quincy  'went  to  the  wars.'     He  was  one  of  the 
early  Town  Trustees,  though  not  one  of  the  first;  was  often 
a  member  of  the  City  Council;  many  times  elected  Mayor;  in 
1850  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate;  in  1856  was  chosen  Lieu- 
tenant Governor,  and  on  the  death  of  Governor  Bissell  in  1859, 
succeeded  to  the  Chief  Executive  chair;  was  selected  by  Gov- 
ernor Yates,  who  entertained  the  highest  admiration  for  this 
'Old  Roman,'  as  he  often  called  him,  as  one  of  the  five  delegates 
from  Illinois   in  February,    1861,  to   the  Peace  Convention  at 
Washington;  and  on  the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion,  was  ap- 
pointed Quartermaster  General  of  the  State, — which  position  he 
held  throughout  the  war,  and  the  excellent  devoted  services  that 
he  rendered  to  the  Nation  in  that  arduous  and  responsible  post 
are  proverbial  and  of  record  in  the  war  history  of  Illinois."     Gov- 
ernor Wood  commanded  and  went  to  the  field  with  the  One 
Hundred  and  Thirty-Seventh  (100  days)  Infantry,  leaving  Quincy 
with  his  regiment  on  the  pth  of  June,  1864,  and  proceeded  to 
Memphis,  Tennessee,  and  on  the  pth  of  July  was  assigned  to  the 
Third  Brigade,  he  commanding,  and  stationed  orf  the  Hernando 
road  on  picket  duty.     His  regiment  was  attacked  by  the  Rebels 
and  lost  some  men,  with  a  few  taken  prisoners.     During  the 
attack  he   was  confined  at  his   headquarters  by  sickness,  but 
rallied  his  forces  and  repelled  their  onset.     During  the  earlier 
period  of  the  war  his  services   to  the  State  as  Quartermaster 
General  were  invaluable.     "His  liberality  and  benefactions  were 
boundless.     His  public  generosity  is  proverbially  known,  but  no 
count  can  be  made  of  the  private  open-handedness  that   ran 
through  his  fifty  years  ot  affluence.     On  his  town,  his  city,  feel- 
ing it  almost  as  his  own,  his  interest  and  pride  forever  rested. 
His  nature  was  bold  and  frank.     He  had  no  disguises,  no  dis- 
simulations, no  fears.     'What  his  heart  forges  that  his  tongue 
must  utter,  and  being  armed  he  even  does  forget  there's  such  a 
thing  as  death,'  could  never  be  applied  to  one  better  than  to  him. 
Singularly  susceptible   to  physical   suffering,  the  lightest  pain 
being  to  him  an  acute  agony,  his  spirit  nevertheless  was  in- 


25 

trepidity  itself.  This  led  him  in  his  matured  age  and  position, 
which  might  well  have  excused  him  therefrom,  to  yearn  with 
patriotic  ardor  for  personal  participation  in  the  late  sad  sectional 
strife  when  the  Nation's  life  was  threatened." 

The  first  three  settlers  of  Quincy  were  John  Wood,  of  whom 
we  have  the  foregoing  sketch,  Jeremiah  Rose  and  Willard 
Keyes. 

Jeremiah  Rose  was  born  in  Stephenson,  Rensselaer  County, 
New  York,  in  1792.  He  was  reared  upon  his  father's  farm,  and 
was  especially  noted  for  feats  of  agility  and  muscle,  in  which  he 
excelled  all  his  young  companions.  He  was  married  in  1815  to 
Miss  Margaret  Brown,  the  daughter  of  Major  Daniel  Brown, 
of  Stephenson.  In  the  fall  of  1821  he  moved  to  Illinois,  settling 
first  at  Atlas,  in  Pike  County.  In  the  fall  of  1822  he  had  pre- 
pared to  build,  in  partnership  with  John  Wood,  a  cabin  at  what 
is  now  Quincy.  Mr.  Rose  was,  however,  prostrated  by  sick- 
ness, when  the  time  came  for  commencing  work.  He  therefore 
hired  a  man  to  fill  his  place,  who,  aiding  Mr.  Wood,  put  up  the 
cabin,  into  which  Mr.  Rose  moved  the  following  spring  (1823) 
with  his  wife  and  daughter, — Mrs.  Rose  being  thus  the  first 
woman  settler  of  Quincy,  and  the  daughter,  now  Mrs.  George 
W.  Brown,  the  first  child  resident.  Mr.  Rose  resided  in  this 
place  until  1826,  when  he  sold  out  to  Mr.  Wood  and  bought  a 
farm  just  north  of  Quincy,  where  he  resided  for  ten  years. 
When  the  first  organization  of  the  Adams  County  Militia  was 
made,  Mr.  Rose  was  elected  Major,  and  was  always  known 
afterwards  as  Major  Rose.  In  1833  he  united  with  the  First 
Congregational  Church  of  Quincy,  of  which  he  continued  a 
faithful  and  consistent  member,  shedding  throughout  his  whole 
life  a  notable  example  of  sincere  piety.  In  1836  he  removed  to 
Henderson  County,  residing  there  on  his  farm  for  fourteen 
years,  returning  in  1850  to  Quincy,  where  he  lived  until  his 
death  in  1859,  at  tne  age  °f  ^7-  Major  Rose  took  an  active 
interest  in  all  reforms  and  advancements,  political  and  social. 
He  was  a  strong  Abolitionist  of  the  old  school;  was  always  a 
generous  contributor  to  the  cause  of  Christian  Missions,  and 
ready  at  all  times  to  extend  the  helping  hand  to  the  calls  of  local 
charity.  He  was  a  modest  and  retiring  man,  but  his  sterling 
integrity  and  worth  were  appreciated  by  all  who  knew  him. 

Willard  Keyes,  the  eldest  son  of  Ashley  Keyes  and  Anna 
(Willard)  Keyes,  was  born  in  Newfane,  Windham  County,  Ver- 
mont, October  28, 1792.  His  father  was  a  farmer  who  removed 


26 

from  Shrewsbury,  Massachusetts,  where  the  family  had  long 
lived,  to  Vermont  about  1790.  Willard,  having  received  the 
usual  practical  school  education  of  New  England,  worked  on 
the  farm,  also  learned  the  business  of  woolen  dyeing,  and  taught 
school  for  several  winters,  until,  at  the  age  of  25  years,  (quoting 
his  own  words  from  the  commencement  page  of  his  diary:) 
"On  the  second  day  of  June,  A.  D.  1817,  being  impelled  by 
curiosity  and  a  desire  to  see  other  places  than  those  in  the 
vicinity  of  my  native  town,  I,  Willard  Keyes,  started  from 
Newfane,  Vermont,  intending  to  travel  into  the  Western  parts 
of  the  United  States."  Traveling  by  various  means  through 
Canada  and  by  the  Northern  lakes,  he  reached  Prairie  du  Chien 
on  the  3Oth  of  August,  1817.  There  he  remained,  engaged  in 
teaching,  milling  and  other  pursuits,  until  the  spring  of  1819, 
when,  with  one  companion,  he  started  on  a  raft  for  St.  Louis, 
floating  by  the  site  of  Quincy  May  10,  1819.  In  March,  1820— 
we  quote  again  from  his  diary:  "John  Wood  and  myself  formed 
a  partnership  to  go  on  the  frontiers  and  commence  farming 
together;  accordingly  prepared  ourselves  with  provisions,  farm- 
ing utensils,  &c.,  as  well  as  our  slender  means  would  permit — 
two  small  yoke  of  steers,  a  young  cow,  and  a  small  though 
promising  lot  of  swine — our  whole  amount  of  property  did  not 
probably  exceed  $250.  Paid  $50  and  $60  per  yoke  for  small 
four-year-old  steers,  $17  for  small  heifer,  6^  cents  per  pound 
for  fresh  pork,  75  cents  per  bushel  for  corn,  $8  per  barrel  for 
flour,  $4  per  bushel  for  salt,  and  other  things  in  proportion." 
At  this  place  in  Pike  County,  thirty  miles  southeast  of  Quincy, 
he  remained  until  the  spring  of  1824,  when  he  moved  up  to 
Quincy,  and  built  the  second  cabin  of  the  city — 16  by  16  feet  in 
size — which  was  afterwards  used  as  the  first  Court  Room.  On 
the  formation  of  the  County,  in  1825,  he  was  chosen  one  of  the 
County  Commissioners,  and  acted  earnestly  and  usefully  for  the 
interests  of  the  infant  settlement  for  many  years.  He  was  one 
of  the  first  members  of  the  first  Church  Association  formed  in 
Quincy  in  1830,  of  which  he  was  made  Deacon, — a  position 
faithfully  maintained  for  forty-two  years.  He  died  on  the  7th  of 
February,  1872.  He  was  married  December  22,  1825,  to  Miss 
Laura  Harkness,  who  died  May  8,  1832;  and  again  to  Miss 
Mary  C.  Folsom,  who  died  November,  1864. 

The  foregoing  sketches  of  Major  Rose  and  Willard  Keyes, 
Esq.,  are  taken  from  the  Rural  Messenger,  and  were  written, 
we  understand,  by  Gen.  John  Tillson. 


27 

The  following  sketch  of  Asa  Tyrer  was  written  by  the  author 
of  this  book,  from  facts  furnished  by  Asa  Tyrer's  son,  Earl  P. 
Tyrer,  Esq.,  and  published  in  1874  i°  ^e  Dollar  Monthly.  If 
Mr.  Tyrer,  who  furnished  the  facts  after  the  death  of  his  father, 
was  not  mistaken,  Asa  Tyrer  visited  for  one  day  the  present  site 
of  Quincv  in  1818. 

Asa  Tyrer  was  born  in  Hampshire  County,  Massachusetts, 
October  17, 1788,  of  Scottish  ancestry.  He  died  at  his  home  near 
Quincy,  August  6, 1873,  aged  85  years.  He  first  visited  the  Illinois 
country  in  1818,  for  the  purpose  of  finding  a  quarter  section  of 
land  lying  in  the  "Military  Bounty  Land  Tract" — and  which 
he  had  purchased  from  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  1812  for  the  sum 
of  $300.  At  the  time  of  this  visit,  there  were  no  steamboats  or 
other  conveyances  to  be  used  in  reaching  Illinois.  He  provided 
himself  with  knapsack  and  provisions,  with  flint,  steel  and 
"punk," — and  alter  wearisome  days  of  travel,  reached  St.  Louis, 
Missouri.  Here  he  crossed  the  Mississippi  river,  and  started 
northward  for  his  intended  home,  on  foot  and  alone.  Reaching 
the  Illinois  river,  he  met  there  a  man  camped  on  the  bank,  who 
was  on  his  way  to  some  point  about  150  miles  above,  with  a 
skiff,  containing  a  barrel  of  whisky.  Mr.  Tyrer  spent  the  night 
with  the  voyager,  skift  and  barrel  of  whisky,  and  no  doubt  felt 
well  pleased  to  have  even  such  company.  The  next  morning  he 
was  set  over  the  river  Illinois  by  the  skiff-man,  and  pursuing  the 
course  of  the  Mississippi  upwards,  in  due  time  reached  the 
beautiful  bluffs  upon  which  Quincy  now  stands.  He  had  ascer- 
tained from  maps  that  the  land  he  was  in  search  of  was  situated 
near  the  bluff;  and  he  soon  found  it,  and  readily  traced  the  lines, 
then  but  recently  marked  by  the  Government  Surveyors.  Near 
one  of  these  lines  he  found  the  since  celebrated  spring,  known  as 
"Watson's  Spring."  Mr.  Tyrer,  on  this  trip  up  the  bank  of  the 
river  and  near  it,  and  at  the  point  where  Quincy  now  stands, 
saw  and  heard  of  numerous  bands  of  Indians,  herds  of  deer, 
and  abundance  of  all  sorts  of  wild  game.  The  next  day  after 
finding  his  land,  he  started  on  his  return  to  St.  Louis.  In  the 
year  1822,  he  returned  to  the  land  by  himself,  and  built  a  log 
cabin  on  it,  at  a  point  two  miles  southeast  of  where  the  Court 
House  in  Quincy  now  stands.  During  the  year  1824,  Mr. 
Tyrer's  family  removed  to  their  new  home.  They  came  up  the 
river  in  skiffs, — two  being  lashed  together,  with  a  platform  built 
on  top,  where  the  whole  family  and  goods  rode  with  safety,  but 
slowly  up  the  stream.  He  set  up  a  blacksmith's  shop  and  corn 


28 

mill,  which  for  a  long  time  thereafter  were  the  only  mill  and 
shop  in  what  is  now  Adams  county.  Mr.  Tyrer  was  the  first 
Coroner  of  Adams  county,  and  one  of  the  first  Jurymen  of  the 
first  court.  After  settling  and  remaining  near  Quincy  for  some 
years,  he  removed  to  Galena,  but  always  held  his  land  here; 
and  some  time  before  his  death,  he  returned,  and  died  on  the  old 
place.  . 

Some  of  our  early  settlers  were  here  long  before  and  well  re- 
membered the  great  historical  deep  snow  of  the  winter  of  1830 
31 — the  deepest  snow  ever  known  in  our  State. 

In  a  lecture  delivered  some  years  before  his  decease,  Mr. 
Keyes  states  that  in  September,  1821,  while  wending  his  way 
north  in  searching  out  the  land,  he  arrived  at  the  point  where 
Vermont  street  now  intersects  the  river,  kindling  a  fire  and 
spanceling  out  his  horse,  he  prepared  to  spend  the  night,  but 
first  ascended  the  blufF  to  the  circular  prairie  where  there  is 
now  the  Public  Square  (Washington  Park),  and  from  the  ad- 
joining bluff"  took  a  panoramic  view  of  the  surroundings.  Re- 
turning to  camp,  ate  his  lunch  and  slept  during  the  night.  In  the 
month  of  February,  1821,  Mr.  Wood,  with  two  men  named 
Peter  Flynn  and  Moffett  came  up  to  the  present  site  of  Quincy. 
The  object  of  the  trip  was  to  find  the  quarter  section  of  land 
owned  by  Flynn,  upon  which  Governor  Wood's  first  orchard  was 
afterwards  planted,  and  upon  which  land  he  resided  at  the 
time  of  his  decease. 

It  would  be  very  satisfactory  to  the  writer  if,  in  addition  to 
sketches  of  early  settlers  of  Quincy  proper,  he  could  find  room 
for  more  particular  notice  of  a  number  of  early  settlers  of  the 
County  whose  names  are  simply  mentioned  herein,  but  he  finds 
it  impossible  within  the  limits  he  has  been  obliged  to  prescribe. 
When  Mr.  Wood  settled  in  Quincy,  in  December,  1822,  there 
were  residing  within  the  present  limits  of  the  County,  besides 
those  already  mentioned,  Justus  I.  Perigo,  residing  on  section  9, 
3  south,  8  west;  Daniel  Lisle,  who  lived  in  2  south,  6  west,  and 
probably  Samuel  Stone,  for  whom  Stone's  Prairie  was  named, 
who,  it  is  alleged  settled  there  in  1822. 


CHAPTER  III. 


ORGANIZATION  OF  ADAMS  COUNTY — THE  LAYING  OUT  OF  THE 

TOWN — THE  FIRST  SALE  OF   LOTS,  AND   SOME 

NOTES  OF  EARLY  TIMES  AND  EVENTS. 


before  stated,  the  County  of  Adams  was  organized  and 
Quincy  was  established  as  the  county  seat  in  July,  1825. 
The  first  election  was  held  on  the  2d  and  the  first  meeting  of  the 
County  Court  was  held  on  the  4th  day  of  July,  1825.  In  the 
previous  month  of  April,  1825,  two  of  the  Commissioners,  David 
Dutton  and  Seymour  Kellogg,  being  the  requisite  majority, 
came  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Keyes^  who  was  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace  of  Pike  County,  and  were  by  him  sworn  preparatory  to 
their  selection  of  the  county  seat  for  the  new  County  of  Adams. 
They  fixed  upon  Quincy.  They  drove  a  stake  in  the  present 
Washington  Park,  Kellogg  laying  his  hand  on  it,  said :  "I  de- 
clare the  name  of  this  town  and  county  seat  to  be  Quincy." 
The  name  was  subsequently  confirmed  and  reported  by  the 
Commissioners.  At  the  election  of  July  2,  1825,  Levi  Wells, 
Willard  Keyes  and  Peter  Journey  were  elected  the  first  County 
Commissioners.  Wells  then  lived  near  where  Payson  is  now 
located,  and  Peter  Journey  on  Mill  Creek.  Henry  H.  Snow 
was  appointed  Clerk,  he  having  arrived  the  day  before  the  elec- 
tion, he  also  having  been  previously  appointed  by  Judge  Sawyer 
Clerk  ot  the  Circuit  Court.  Levi  Hadley  was  elected  Sheriff 
and  Asa  Tyrer  Coroner.  All  now  dead. 

Few  men,  if  any,  have  had  a  more  general  and  favorable 
reputation  and  acquaintance  in  early  Quincy  than  Henry  H. 
Snow.  He  was  at  one  and  the  same  time  County  or  Probate 
Judge,  Clerk  of  the  County  and  Circuit  Courts,  Recorder,  and 
Postmaster.  It  may  be  said  of  him  that  he  was  an  honest  man 
and  Christian  gentleman,  dying  at  a  good  old  age,  but  retaining 
his  mental  faculties  to  the  end.  Judge  Snow,  greatly  assisted  by 


30 

Willard  Keyes,  surveyed  and  drew  up  the  first  plat  of  the  town. 
In  after  years  he  called  it  the  "  MODEL,  CITY,"  the  name  of  the 
"Gem  City"  was  bestowed  long  afterwards  by  the  new-coming 
second  or  third  generation.  The  County  being  named  Adams, 
the  Town  Quincy,  to  complete  the  full  name  of  the  then  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  the  public  square,  now  called  Wash- 
ington Park,  was  called  "John's  Square,"  or  "John's  Prairie." 
This  name  was  bestowed  by  those  present  when  the  stake  was 
driven,  though  the  early  plats  of  the  city  omitted  the  name 
"John's  Square."  Judge  Snow,  who  afterwards  made  the  first 
town  plat,  was  not  present  when  the  stake  was  driven.  The 
first  message  of  John  Quincy  Adams,  delivered  March  4,  1825, 
reached  the  County  on  the  day  the  county  seat  was  located,  and 
to  give  the  new  President  the  full  compliment  of  naming  our  new 
county  seat  for  him,  the  men  of  that  early  day  added  "John" 
for  the  only  public  square  in  the  original  town.  It  is  perhaps  to 
be  regretted  that  it  was  ever  named  differently.  It  is  proper  to 
remark,  that  no  persons  besides  Wood,  Rose  and  family  and 
Keyes  lived  in  Quincy  prior  to  the  4th  of  July,  1825. 

The  first  election  and  the  first  County  Court  was  held  in  the 
house  of  Mr.  Keyes,  near  the  corner  of  the  present  Vermont  and 
Front  streets;  curiously  enough  Mr.  Keyes  had  built  his  first 
cabin  near  the  spot  where  he  had  previously  camped  for  a  night 
in  September,  1821. 

On  Wednesday,  November  9,  1825,  the  Commissioners  made 
an  order  employing  Henry  H.  Snow  to  survey  the  Town  of 
Quincy,  and  to  draw  plats  thereof,  and  on  the  i3th  of  December, 
following,  the  plat  having  been  prepared  was  acknowledged  by 
the  Court  for  record,  this  acknowledgment  was  simply  a  state- 
ment in  the  record  that  it  had  been  acknowledged.  On  the  4th 
of  March,  1829,  however,  it  was  again  acknowledged  by  White, 
Stone  and  Frazier,  County  Commissioners.  The  original  Town 
of  Quincy  was  laid  out  upon  the  northwest  quarter  of  section 
two  (2),  township  two  (2),  south  of  the  base  line,  range  nine  (9), 
west  of  the  fourth  principal  meridian.  This  tract  was  entered  by 
the  County  under  an  act  of  Congress  of  May  26,  1824,  granting 
pre-emptions  to  counties  and  parishes  for  county  seats.  The 
patent  for  the  tract  is  dated  February  13,  1832,  and  is  signed  by 
Andrew  Jackson,  then  President,  and  by  Elijah  Hayward,  Com- 
missioner of  the  General  Land  Office.  This  patent  is  recorded 
in  Book  B,  at  page  257,  of  the  Adams  County  Records  of  Deeds, 
and  it  runs  to  Adams  County.  This  quarter  is  a  little  less  than 


31 

one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  The  land  was  entered  at  Ed- 
wardsville  by  George  Frazier,  Philip  W.  Martin  and  Samuel 
Stone,  County  Commissioners,  in  trust  for  Adams  County,  as 
late  as  the  26th  day  of  April,  1830,  I  believe,  before  the  tract 
was  brought  into  market. 

The  original  town  contained  two  hundred  and  thirty  lots,  the 
general  size  of  which  is  99x198  feet.  Agreeably  to  public  notice 
previously  given,  the  County  offered  for  sale  on  the  i3th  of 
December,  1825,  a  number  of  these  town  lots  in  the  new  county 
seat  of  Adams  County  at  public  auction  to  tjie  highest  bidder. 
Fifty-one  lots  were  sold  to  different  individuals  for  the  aggre- 
gate amount  of  $714 — the  highest  price  given  for  a  lot  was  $38, 
which  was  considered  enormously  heavy  dealing  in  real  estate. 
This  price  was  paid  by  Willard  Keyes  for  the  lot  on  the  north 
side  of  Vermont  street,  on  the  public  landing. 

In  the  early  days  of  Quincy  most  of  the  boats  that  landed  here 
came  to  the  shore  opposite  or  near  the  foot  of  said  Vermont 
street — the  comparative  gradual  ascent  from  the  river  to  the  top 
of  the  hill  by  the  way  of  Vermont  street,  made  the  west  end  of 
that  street,  in  early  times,  the  usual  way  of  travel  to  reach  the 
high  lands  of  the  town. 

A  number  of  the  lots  were  sold  at  five  dollars  each.  On  the 
1 5th  of  the  same  month,  nineteen  other  lots  were  sold  for  the 
aggregate  sum  of  eighty-two  dollars.  The  sale  made  in  1837 
by  the  County  for  the  purpose  of  raising  money  to  build  our 
brick  court  house,  though  it  embraced  only  about  ten  lots, 
brought  more  money  than  the  aggregate  of  all  amounts  pre- 
viously realized  by  the  County  for  lots  sold.  Not  exceeding 
twenty-five  or  thirty  persons  attended  the  first  sale  of  lots. 

In  1823,  Mr.  Wood  raised,  without  a  fence,  a  crop  of  corn 
upon  the  land  purchased,  we  believe,  of  Flynn ;  as  was  usual  the 
corn-field  was  also  planted  with  pumpkins,  and  the  crop  of  both 
was  abundant.  On  one  occasion  Mr.  Wood  caught  an  Indian 
carrying  off  a  load  of  the  pumpkins,  halted  him  and  made  him 
lay  down  the  spoil,  but  after  trying  to  convince  the  Indian  that 
it  was  wrong  to  steal — the  savage  not  appearing  to  understand 
a  word  that  was  said — our  old  settler  concluded  to  give  back 
the  pumpkins,  adding  a  large  watermelon.  Whereupon  the  In- 
dian, with  evident  satisfaction,  attempted  to  express  his  thanks. 
He  had  not  learned  much  good  English  in  his  intercourse  with 
traders  and  frontiersmen,  and  what  he  had  learned  was  likely  to 
be  misapplied,  yet  he  tried  his  best,  laying  his  hand  gently  upon 


32 

Mr.  Wood's  shoulder,  he  said,  "You  are  a  big  rascal," — by  this 
he  only  meant,  "You  are  a  good  Chemoka  man"  (white  man). 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  that  Mr.  Wood  moved  to  Quincy, 
or  soon  after,  he  was  joined  here  by  Mr.  Rose.  Some  Indians 
came  along  and  one  of  their  number  died.  They  buried  him  in 
a  sitting  position  against  a  tree  not  far  from  Mr.  Wood's  house. 
They  had  built  up  around  the  body  a  sort  of  a  tomb  of  wood, 
bark  and  sticks,  the  odor  of  this  becoming  disagreeable,  Wood 
and  Rose  set  fire  to  the  pile  and  burned  up  the  whole  concern. 
This  was  the  first  cremation  here  at  the  hands  of  white  men. 
They  had  some  trouble  in  satisfactorily  arranging  the  insult  to 
the  red  men  implied  in  the  act.  They  had  to  give  the  Indians 
some  compensation,  which  consisted,  among  other  things,  of  a 
hog,  this  the  Indians  killed  and  eat,  thus  squaring  the  account. 

In  illustration  of  the  hardships  encountered  by  our  early 
settlers,  I  may  mention  that  they  had  to  go  to  Button's,  in  Pike 
County,  to  have  their  plows  sharpened  and  other  repairs  of 
tools  and  implements  made.  They  had  to  go  to  Atlas,  40  miles, 
to  a  horse  mill  for  corn-meal;  the  only  flour  they  got  was 
bought  from  keel-boats  going  up  the  river  to  the  United  States 
forts.  This  flour  came  from  Ohio.  Mr.  Wood  also  used  a 
hand-mill  of  his  own  construction — never  patented.  The  first 
three  cabins  built  at  Quincy  were  constructed  without  nails  or 
tools  except  an  ax  and  an  auger;  all  the  fastenings  were  made 
with  wooden  pins;  the  auger  that  bored  the  holes  was  used  in 
the  hand  mill  by  Wood  for  a  mill-spindle.  The  first  grist  mill 
in  the  County  was  a  horse  mill  built  in  1824  by  Slater  in  3  south, 
8  west.  The  first  saw  mill  in  the  County  was  built  by  Bancroft 
and  Moore,  probably  the  same  year,  at  the  point  on  Mill  Creek 
where  Coftman's  mill  was  afterwards  erected. 

It  will  be  recollected  that  in  1824  Asa  Tyrer  came  to  his  land 
near  Quincy  with  his  family  and  set  up  a  blacksmith  shop  and 
corn  mill — perhaps  this  mill  was  a  small  concern,  as  but  little 
mention  is  made  of  it.  Mr.  Keyes,  however,  states  that  Mr. 
Tyrer  constructed  a  mortar  to  beat  corn  into  hominy.  There 
was  a  spring  branch  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  his  house 
that  tumbled  over  a  fall  of  rock  of  about  six  feet,  and  he  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  making  this  waterfall  pound  his  hominy,  so 
adjusting  a  sweep  and  a  pestle  to  fit  his  mortar  at  one  end,  at 
the  other  end  he  placed  a  trough  of  two  or  three  gallons  capac- 
ity immediately  under  the  waterfall;  as  the  trough  filled  it  de- 
scended and  raised  the  pestle,  the  water  was  then  discharged 


33 

from  the  trough,  and  the  pestle  end  becoming  heaviest  came  down 
with  force  upon  the  corn  in  the  mortar,  thus  producing  about 
three  strokes  per  minute,  and  by  constant  pounding,  day  and 
night,  it  made  several  quarts  of  hominy  daily.  Tyrer  did  not 
seek  a  patent  for  this.  The  story  that  a  coon  got  mashed  up  in 
in  the  machine,  Mr.  Keyes  thought  apocryphal. 

Daniel  Whipple  built  Whipple's  Mill,  near  the  town,  in  1827. 
Wood  and  Keyes,  to  induce  him  to  build  a  mill,  deeded  to  him 
the  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  upon  which  the  same 
was  to  be  erected,  for  the  nominal  sum  of  thirty  dollars.  This 
old  Whipple's  Mill  at  first  had  small  capacity  the  stones  be- 
ing only  twelve  inches  in  diameter,  and  like  "the  mills  of  the 
gods,"  it  ground  slow,  but  not  like  them,  wondrous  fine.  Still 
it  was  a  benefit  to  the  early  inhabitants  of  this  part  of  the 
County.  What  might  be  called  mill  facilities  were  deficient 
until  the  erection  in  about  1833  of  the  Quincy  Steam  Mill,  a 
large  and  well  constructed  mill,  which  ran  on  for  several  years 
until  others  were  erected.  This  mill  stood  west  of  Front  street, 
not  far  from  the  present  site  of  the  Tellico  Mills.  The  three  first 
houses  erected  within  the  present  limits  of  Quincy,  were  first 
that  of  John  Wood,  in  1822-3,  the  second  that  of  Willard  Keyes, 
in  1824,  and  the  third  that  of  Droulard,  in  the  fall  of  1824. 

For  several  years  prior  to  the  election  held  the  first  Monday 
in  August,  1824,  there  was  a  large  or  considerable  party  in  the 
State  in  favor  of  calling  a  convention,  with  the  avowed  object  of 
changing  our  Constitution  so  as  to  make  Illinois  a  slave-holding 
State.  The  election  of  that  date  was  to  decide  the  question 
whether  the*  convention  should  be  called  or  not.  Mr.  Wood 
was  greatly  interested  in  this  election,  and  went  up  as  far  as 
Montibello,  now  Nauvoo,  to  rally  the  voters  against  the  conven- 
tion, and  with  all  the  voters  from  Montibello,  or  Nauvoo,  to 
Atlas,  he  appeared  at  the  Atlas  precinct,  making  in  all  one 
hundred  voters.  The  vote  was  ninety-seven  against  the  con- 
vention to  three  for  it.  The  projected  convention  was  beaten 
and  that  ended  the  the  attempt  to  make  Illinois  a  slave-holding 
State.  Governor  Wood  always  felt  proud  of  his  efforts  in  help- 
ing to  defeat  the  proposed  convention.  Of  the  three  who  voted 
for  it,  he  said  "Lord  Coke,"  J.  W.  Whitney,  Esq.,  was  one,  and 
the  Governor  long  remembered  it. 

It  is  stated  that  the  first  steamboat  that  landed  here,  or  that 
came  up  the  upper  Mississippi  thus  far,  was  called  the  Western 
Enterprise,  and  took  on  board  Asa  Tyrer,  who  was  here  in 

3 


34 

search  of  his  land.  This  was  in  1820.  The  figure-head  of  the 
boat  was  a  serpent,  which  spit  fire.  If  this  date  is  correct,  and 
it  is  from  notes  written  by  Captain  Phillips  from  statements  made 
by  Governor  Wood  himself,  Mr.  Tyrer's  first  visit  to  his  land 
near  Quincy  could  not  have  been  as  early  as  1818,  unless  he 
made  two  visits  here  before  1822,  which  is  not  probable,  though 
possible.  The  next  steamboat,  within  the  knowledge  of  settlers, 
that  passed  up  was  the  old  Indiana,  in  about  1821  or  1822,  com- 
manded by  Captain  Newman,  who  refused  to  land  at  this  place. 
Our  earliest  settlers,  though  cut  off  by  distance  and  the  want  of 
modern  modes  of  transportation,  were  not  badly  oft*  for  some- 
thing good  to  eat.  They  had  hominy,  corn  bread,  pork,  veni- 
son, wild  turkey,  prairie  chickens,  wild  geese,  ducks,  and  fish 
from  the  river;  and  for  sweetening,  abundance  of  wild  honey, 
and  they  had  pretty  soon,  vegetables,  roasting  ears  of  corn, 
pumpkins,  and  melons.  It  was  only  before  their  first  crop  that 
they  sometimes  had  scarcity  of  living.  In  a  land  almost  literally 
flowing  with  milk  and  honey,  they  sometimes  felt  the  pangs  of 
real  hunger. 

As  late  as  the  year  1832,  when  the  Black  Hawk  war  broke 
out,  the  Indians,  principally  of  the  Sac  and  Fox  tribes,  were 
very  numerous  at  and  around  Quincy.  The  shores  of  the  river 
were  frequently  covered  with  their  tents  and  wigwams  for  a 
distance  both  above  and  below  the  town.  They  traded  with  the 
whites  both  in  the  town  and  the  surrounding  country — as  they 
came  in  from  their  hunting  excursions  they  imported  feathers, 
dressed  deer  skins,  moccasins,  beeswax,  honey,  maple  sugar, 
grass  floor  mats,  venison  hams,  muskrat,  coon  and- mink  skins, 
and  game  generally.  These  Indians  were  generally  peaceable 
when  sober ;  they  frequently  had  a  beggar  and  squaw  dances, 
sending  round  the  hat  for  ten-cent  pieces,  not  unlike  our  more 
modern  organ  grinders  and  street  singers. 

In  very  early  times  our  settlers  very  often  used  coffee  made 
of  coffee-nut,  which  grew  in  our  bottoms ;  sassafras  tea,  made  of 
the  roots  of  sassafras,  was  used  in  the  spring  as  a  blood  purifier, 
and  it  was  found  more  useful  than  our  present  patent  medicines 
are  found  to  be.  Sugar  was  worth  twenty-five  cents  a  pound ; 
honey  was  frequently  sold  by  the  barrel,  retailed  at  thirty- 
seven  and  one-half  cents  per  gallon;  beeswax  sold  for  twenty-five 
cents  a  pound.  It  was  a  common  saying  that  beeswax  was 
land  office  money,  and  coon  skins  common  currency.  The 
usual  price  of  a  bee  tree  as  it  stood  in  the  forest  was  a  dollar. 


35 

The  man  who  first  found  it  marked  the  tree  with  his  name  or 
initials,  and  his  title  was  respected  and  never  disputed.  These  bee 
trees  were  often  exchanged  in  trade  for  stock  and  other  prop- 
erty. Such  trade  as  is  here  mentioned  was  carried  on  by  people 
raising  small  crops  of  corn  and  potatoes  until  the  year  1832, 
though  in  the  meantime  some  merchants  had  settled  here.  The 
first  was  Asher  Anderson,  from  Maryland,  who,  as  early  as 
1826  opened  a  store  here  in  Brown's  log  tavern,  with  a  stock, 
chiefly  groceries,  calicos,  flannels  and  domestics,  of  the  aggre- 
gate value  of  about  $1,000.  Mr.  Anderson  traded  a  good  deal 
with  the  Indians  for  articles  brought  in  by  them — his  trade  with 
the  whites  was  mainly  upon  the  credit  system — there  was  but 
little  money  in  circulation.  In  1828,  Tillson  &  Holmes 
opened  a  store  on  the  north  side  of  the  square  with  a  stock 
worth  about  $1,000.  These  gentlemen  were  Robert  Tillson 
and  Charles  Holmes;  this  was  the  second  store  started  here. 
Both  of  these  gentlemen  are  still  living. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  FIRST  TERM  OF  THE  CIRCUIT  COURT  OF  ADAMS  COUNTY 

—GEOGRAPHICAL  DESCRIPTION  OF  QUINCY — NOTES  OF 

THE  SLOW  PROGRESS  OF  THE  TOWN  UP  TO 

1834 — THE  CHOLERA  IN  1833,  AND 

MISCELLANEOUS  EVENTS 

AND  SKETCHES. 


|HE  first  Circuit  Court  was  held  on  the  3ist  day  of  Octo- 
ber, 1825;  a  temple  of  justice  was  made  of  Keyes'  cabin, 
His  Honor,  John  York  Sawyer,  presiding,  a  spectator  remarks, 
whose  corpulency  filled  no  inconsiderable  space  in  the  house; 
the  Prosecuting  Attorney  attending  was  James  Turney;  Alfred 
W.  Caverly  and  John  Turney,  Members  of  the  Bar,  attended. 
The  Grand  Jury  was  empanneled  in  the  shed  or  porch  in  front, 
built  expressly  for  their  accommodation.  After  being  sworn  and 
charged,  they  retired  to  the  shade  of  a  large  oak  tree  near  by 
to  deliberate.  They  found  five  indictments,  three  against 
Thomas  McCreary,  one  against  Silas  Brooks,  and  one  against 
Henry  Jacobs — all  for  fighting.  Keyes'  house,  where  this 
Court  was  held,  had  in  one  corner  a  bed,  in  another  a  cupboard, 
a  barrel  of  vinegar  somewhere,  and  a  table  on  the  floor.  The 
Clerk  sat  on  one  side  of  the  table,  and  the  Judge  on  the  other 
—he  weighed,  they  tell  us,  380  pounds.  One  of  the  Lawyers 
made  a  loud,  ranting  speech,  and  another  one  said  it  was  like  a 
tempest  in  a  teapot.  There  was  little  or  no  business  upon  the 
common  law  and  chancery  dockets.  Snow,  who  had  been  ap- 
pointed Clerk,  was  reappointed  and  gave  bond.  It,  however, 
appears  that  \Villard  Keyes  had  received  a  temporary  appoint- 
ment from  Judge  Sawyer,  May  28,  1825,  as  Clerk,  and  took  the 
oath  of  office  the  same  day  before  Sawyer,  but  I  believe  never 
performed  any  of  the  duties  of  the  office  or  gave  bond. 


37 

It  may  be  here  stated  as  a  historical  fact  that  in  the  year  1813 
two  regiments  of  Mounted  Rangers  of  Illinois  and  Missouri, 
commanded  by  General  Howard,  made  an  expedition  through 
the  western  part  of  Illinois,  substantially  starting  from  or  near 
Edwardsville,  and  after  crossing  the  Illinois  river  into  what  is  now 
Calhoun  County,  they  marched  up  the  Mississippi  river,  as  near 
to  the  stream  as  the  state  of  the  country  permitted,  to  the  point 
where  Quincy  is  now  located.  At  this  point  they  burned  and 
destroyed  the  Indian  wigwams,  and  probably  the  French  trading 
establishments  found  here,  in  retaliation  for  Indian  barbarities 
upon  our  frontier  settlements.  The  expedition  was  mainly  in- 
tended to  drive  the  Indians  north  of  the  Rock  river.  They  had 
no  serious  fighting  with  the  Indians,  and  marched  across  the 
country  to  old  Fort  Peoria,  which  they  rebuilt  and  named  Fort 
Clark.  From  thence  they  marched  through  the  country  east  of 
the  Illinois  river,  then  unsettled,  to  their  rendezvous,  at  or  near 
Edwardsville.  In  this  expedition  there  were  three  men  who 
afterwards  became  Governors — John  Reynolds  and  Thomas 
Carlin,  of  Illinois,  and  McNair,  of  Missouri. 

It  is  stated  in  a  historical  sketch  by  Mr.  Keyes,  that  the  site 
upon  which  Quincy  now  stands  was  known  fifty  years  ago — 
now  seventy  years — as  the  old  Sauk  village,  from  the  tribe 
of  Indians  called  by  the  French  "Sacs,"  or  Saukees,  who  once 
occupied  the  country  from  Rock  river  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Illinois.  The  village  was  a  favorite  post  for  "fur  traders,"  who 
went  among  the  Indians  for  traffic.  The  remains  of  their  estab- 
lishments were  visible  on  Front  street  many  years  after  Quincy 
was  laid  out.  Mr.  Keyes  also  relates  the  story  of  an  old  French- 
man named  Bauvet,  who,  it  was  thought,  buried  here  two  kegs 
of  French  crowns,  which  are  probably  still  in  his  hiding  place, 
as  he  was  soon  after  killed  by  the  Indians,  and  never  told  where 
his  treasure  was  buried.  Also  he  tells  us  the  well-authenticated 
story  that  some  traders  or  keel  boat  men  going  up  the  river  in  a 
keel  boat  got  caught  in  the  bay,  finding  that  from  its  head  there 
was  no  outlet  to  the  main  channel  of  the  river,  and  they  had  to 
come  back  some  three  miles  and  pull  along  outside  of  the  great 
bay  island.  It  appears  that  the  early  French  traders  and 
Indians  called  all  white  Americans  "Bostonians,"  and  to  perpet- 
uate the  joke  of  these  supposed  smart  Bostonians  getting  into 
this  pocket,  they  called  the  bay  "Boston  Bay."  Now,  as  Boston 
is  so  far  oft"  and  Quincy  so  near,  we  had  perhaps  better  let  the 
new  name  of  "Quincy  Bay"  stand;  besides,  all  these  traders  and 


38 

Indians,  here    when  the   mistake  was  made,  like  Christopher 
Columbus,  are  now  dead. 

The  City  of  Quincy  lies  a  few  miles  south  of  the  fortieth 
degree  of  north  latitude  and  in  about  fourteen  degrees  of  west 
longitude  from  Washington,  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi 
river,  160  miles  by  water  above  St.  Louis,  no  miles  west  of 
Springfield,  the  State  capital,  264  miles  from  Chicago  and  Lake 
Michigan,  and  about  360  miles  by  water  above  the  mouth  of  the 
Ohio  river.     The  location  is  highly  favored  by  nature.     Its  lati- 
tude and  soil  furnishes  rich  growths  of  all  kinds  of  grain,  grapes, 
and  all  kinds  of  fruits  common  to  the  temperate  zone.     The 
rapid  growth  of  trees  is  marvellous.     The  situation  of  Quincy 
upon  the  Mississippi,  800  miles  below  the  head  of  navigation 
and  connecting  with  all  the  navigable  streams  of  the  great  valley 
of  the  Mississippi,  in  the  heart  of  a  region  of  country  abounding 
in  timber  of  the  best  kind,  and  where  coal  and  limestone  in  in- 
exhaustible quantities  are  found  at  not  inconvenient  distances, 
and  withal  pre-eminently  healthy,  seems  to  leave  nothing  more 
to  be  asked  from  the  bounties  of  nature,     With  the  blessing  of 
the  Creator,  our  continued  prosperity  seems  placed  in  the  hands, 
of  our  own  people.     The  bluffs  or  high  ground  upon  which  the 
main  part  of  Quincy   stands   is   a   sub-stratum   of  limestone, 
covered  in  some  places  with  mounds  of  sandy  soil  and  in  others 
with  rich  alluvium,  at  a  general  elevation  of  150  feet  above  the 
river  and  the  neighboring  and  opposite  bottom  lands,  this  being 
the  only  point  on  the  east  side  of  the  river  at  which  the  blufTs 
strike  the  river,  without  intervening  bottom  lands,  for  a  distance 
of  eighty  or  ninety  miles  down  the  river,  and  for  forty  miles  up 
the  river,  where  the  bluffs  strike  the  river  at  Warsaw.     The 
river  in  front  of  the  public  landing  is  one  mile  wide.     Running 
along  under  the  northwest  side  of  the  city  is  the  beautiful  bay, 
which  has  been  mentioned.     This  sheet  of  water  is  completely 
land-locked,  and  affords  a  safe  and  convenient  harbor  for  boats. 
The  Government   at  Washington  has  lately  done  some  work 
upon  this  bay  in  connection  with  improvements  to  the  naviga- 
tion of  the  river,  but  much  remains  to  be  done  to  prevent  its 
obstruction  from  filling  up  through  washings  from  the  blufts  and 
shores  above.     In  1834,  wnen  the  writer  first  saw  this  bay,  it 
was  the  most  beautiful  sheet  of  water  to  be  found  in  all  the 
great  west,  connecting  with  the  Mississippi  river. 

Of  the  Mississippi  river  itself,  we,  who  live  upon  its  banks 
and  are  daily  and  yearly  observers  of  its  magnitude  and  power, 


39 

are  apt  to  look  upon  it  with  careless  interest.  With  its  sources 
almost  in  the  extreme  north,  it  pushes  along  its  great  current 
till  it  pours  its  floods  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  in  its  progress 
to  the  sea  through  a  distance  of  over  three  thousand  miles  it 
receives  numerous  tributaries,  many  of  them  larger  than  the 
greatest  rivers  of  Europe,  adding  to  its  volume  of  water  and 
giving  its  current  an  almost  resistless  force.  Whilst  it  carries 
upon  its  bosom  an  amount  of  trade  and  commerce  almost 
greater  than  the  whole  outside  commerce  of  the  United  States, 
it  is  besides  the  strongest  chain  which  holds  our  Union  together, 
and  proclaims  to  all  the  world  that  the  United  States  of  America 
can  never  be  permanently  divided  so  long  as  it  runs  to  the  sea. 
God  save  our  Mississippi!  "The  Father  of  Waters."  'Tis  true 
that  sometimes  in  his  annual  floods  he  seems  to  crowd  us  a  little 
too  much.  It  is  not  strange  that  Father  Marquette,  with  Joliet, 
when  they  discovered  this  great  river,  fell  upon  their  knees  in 
awe  and  thankfulness  to  God. 

The  first  store  license  issued  in  Adams  County  was  to  Messrs. 
Russell  &  Farnham,  who  were  selling  goods  to  the  Indians  at 
Fort  Edwards,  now  Warsaw.  Hancock  County  then  being  at- 
tached to  Adams  for  all  County  purposes.  In  1826  a  log  Court 
House  was  built  by  the  County  east  of  and  near  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  Public  Square.  It  was  a  very  poor  Court  House, 
and  was  burned  down  during  the  winter  of  1835-6.  Rufus 
Brown  put  up  a  large  log  house  on  the  ground  now  covered  by 
the  Quincy  House,  which  was  used  as  a  tavern.  Several  smaller 
log  houses  were  erected  during  the  year  1826.  The  following 
statement  from  the  records,  purporting  to  be  the  account  of 
Levi  Hadley,  the  first  Sheriff  of  the  County,  and  exhibited  in 
open  Court  as  his  account  current  with  the  County  for  that  year, 
is  as  follows,  viz. : 

To  Amount  of  Tax  List $48  25 

From  Rufus  Brown,  Tavern  License 1  00 

From  Henry  Jacobs,  Two  Fines  for  Fighting 6  00 


Whole  Amount $55  25 

It  is  alleged  that  the  tax  list  for  the  year  preceding,  if  there 
was  any  made,  was  never  collected,  or  was  not  sufficient  to  pay 
expenses  of  assessment,  &c.  Wesley  Williams  was  the  first 
Treasurer.  During  the  year  several  more  log  buildings  were 
erected.  A  very  great  emigration  to  Galena — the  lead  mines — 
took  place  from  this  part  of  the  country.  They  were  mere 
temporary  emigrants,  going  up  in  the  spring  of  the  year  to 


40 

operate  in  the  mines  and  coming  down  in  the  fall.     Hence  the 
name  of  "Suckers"  was  applied  to  Illinoisans,  because,  like  the 
sucker  fish,  they  ran  up  stream  in  the  spring  and  ran  down  in 
the  fall.     Previously  but  few  steamboats  were  seen  on  the  upper 
Mississippi.     Boats  had  occasionally  gone  up  to  to  the  military 
posts  at  Prairie  du  Chien  and  St.  Peters.     Up  to  this  time  boats 
generally  did  not  deign  to  pay  our  young  town  the  compliment  of 
landing  upon  our  shore.     This  year  brought  our  first  drinking 
places.     They  gave  rise  to  a  good  deal  of  disorder,  revelry,  and 
additional  pugnacity.     In  1828  a  few  additional  buildings  of  the 
primitive  sort  were  erected,  with  about  the  same  increase  of 
population.     There  is  now,  however,  no  authentic  means   of 
ascertaining  the  exact  number  of  inhabitants  of  the  place  in  that 
year.     It  is  only  certain  that  there  were  but  very  few  persons 
residing  in  the  town  up  to  the  end  of  1828.     The  first  sermon 
preached  in  Quincy,  it  is  stated,  was  listened  to  by  a  small  body 
of  Methodists.     The  preacher   was  from    Morgan  county.     I 
have  not  certainly  learned  his  name,  but  a  Methodist  preacher 
named  Bogart  was  here  and  preached  in   1828.      A  Baptist 
preacher,   Mr.   Roberts,    also   preached    here    that    summer. 
J.  Porter,  a  Presbyterian  clergyman,  the  first  of  that  denomina- 
tion preached  here,  and  remained  here  until  his  death,  in  1829. 
In  the  year  1827  a  few  citizens  purchased  of  the  county  a  lot  for 
eight  dollars,  on  which  to  erect  a  school  house,  to  belong  to  the 
school  district.     A  log  school  house  was  built  upon  it,  and  which 
was  still  standing  when  the  writer  came  to  this  place,  in  1834. 
It  stood  west   of  the  block   of  wholesale  buildings   north    of 
Hampshire  street,  near  the  corner  of  Third  and  Hampshire,  on 
the  bluff.     About  twenty-five  scholars  attended  this  first  school, 
which  was  taught,  we  believe,  by  Wesley  Williams,  Esq.     The 
school  continued  three  months  ot  that  year,  and  was  continued 
the  next  year.     It  appeared  that  some  of  our  citizens  did  not 
duly  appreciate  its  advantages.     One  man,   who  had   several 
children,  sent  his  daughter,  aged  15,  three  days,  and  then  with- 
drew her,  saying  that  Lizzie  had  been  three  days  in  school  and 
hadn't  "learnt  a  hooter." 

The  first  mail,  from  Carrollton  by  way  of  Atlas,  came  to 
Quincy  in  1825.  Judge  Snow  was  Postmaster,  and  kept  the 
postoffice  at  Mr.  Wood's  house.  This  was  then  the  north- 
ernmost postoffice,  and  from  and  for  the  military  posts  as  far 
up  as  St.  Peters  expresses  were  sent  to  Quincy  for  the  mails 
designed  for  them.  Two  soldiers  were  generally  sent  with  the 
mails.  The  office  in  Wood's  house  was  kept  in  a  pine  chest. 


In  1829  two  or  more  frame  buildings  were  put  up.  The  first, 
by  Robert  Tillson,  was  two  stories  high.  The  lumber  was 
rafted  down  the  river  from  the  Waconda  Mills,  in  Missouri. 
One  was  built  by  Mr.  Keyes  under  the  hill  near  his  cabin,  and 
was  long  used  as  a  tavern.  Rufus  Brown  built  a  small  frame 
addition  to  his  tavern;  and  Hull  this  year  made  the  first  bricks. 
Mr.  Tillson's  building  was  used  for  many  years  as  the  postoffice. 
It  stood  on  the  corner  of  Fourth  and  Maine  streets. 

As  before  stated,  many  of  our  people  during  the  years  1828 
and  1829,  both  from  the  Country  and  the  Town,  went  to  Galena 
to  dig  for  lead,  some  of  whom  were  quite  successful,  among 
them  Walter  Emory,  Joshua  Streeter  and  others.  The  first 
Sheriff  of  our  County,  Levi  Hadley,  went  also,  and  in  a  fit  of 
mental  derangement,  near  Galena,  jumped  off  a  steamboat  and 
was  drowned.  Our  second  Sheriff,  Earl  Pierce,  as  late  as  1836 
made  his  grand  lope  for  the  South  and  Texas,  leaving  the 
County  of  Adams  and  many  of  its  citizens  his  everlasting  cred- 
itors. Captain  Pierce  was  a  fine-looking,  intelligent  and  influ- 
ential Democrat  of  the  Jacksonian  persuasion. 

Some  of  our  old  settlers  have  stated  that  our  Quincy  society 
improved  greatly  in  1830.  A  Temperance  Society  was  formed, 
consisting  of  about  twelve  sober  people,  pledged  to  abstain  from 
the  use  of  and  traffic  in  ardent  spirits.  Not  long  after  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Society,  it  was  alleged,  got  drunk  on  wine.  The 
Society  changed  its  Constitution  and  adopted  the  principle  of 
total  abstinence.  We  are  sorry  to  be  compelled  to  say  the 
habit  has  never  since  become  universal  in  the  town.  Great 
eloquence  and  effort  has  been  put  forth  wilhin  the  last  forty 
years  to  advance  the  cause  of  temperance.  Much -labor  and 
personal  sacrifice  has  been  made.  One  very  remarkable  instance 
occurs,  namely,  that  orator  and  ex-Englishman,  John  B.  Gough, 
has  made  by  his  lectures  not  much  over  $100,000,  and  still 
lives  hopefully. 

The  town  in  1830  contained  about  200  inhabitants.  Some 
improvements  were  made,  and  Asher  Anderson,  our  first  mer- 
chant, built  the  first  brick  house.  It  was  an  addition  to  his 
small  frame  storehouse  on  the  north  side  of  Maine  street,  a  little 
east  of  the  corner  of  Third  street.  In  this  house  Asher  Ander- 
son and  his  wife  both  died  the  same  day,  of  cholera,  in  1833. 
In  this  year,  1830,  the  Presbyterian  Church,  which  was  after- 
wards changed  into  the  First  Congregational  Church,  was 
organized  by  the  Rev.  Asa  Turner,  who  was  its  first  pastor.  In 


42 

this  year  Isaac  Sawyer,  Jr.,  took  from  Quincy  our  first  exports, 
consisting  of  the  products  of  the  County.  His  cargo  put  upon 
a  flatboat,  consisted  of  live  hogs,  corn  and  onions,  and  was 
started  for  the  New  Orleans  market.  How  far  down  he  went 
the  history  don't  say.  D.  G.  Whitney,  our  greatest  early  mer- 
chant, came  here  and  opened  a  store,  which,  with  former 
additions  to  our  first  two,  made  the  fifth  in  the  town. 

In  1831  four  or  five  frame  buildings  were  erected,  besides 
several  log  ones.  The  old  Quincy  Steam  Mill  before  mentioned 
was  built,  and  it  was  thought  that  improvements  were  advanc- 
ing rapidly.  The  prices  of  lots  raised,  and  brighter  hopes  were 
entertained  in  regard  to  destiny  of  the  town.  This  year  the 
United  States  Land  Office  for  the  Quincy  district  was  estab- 
lished here.  The  first  entry  of  land  was  on  the  i4th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1831,  and  only  seventeen  entries  were  made  the  whole  of 
the  next  year.  The  number  of  entries  since  were  about 
eighteen  thousand.  Samuel  Alexander  was  the  first  Register 
and  Thomas  Carlin  the  first  Receiver.  John  Wood  laid  out  his 
first  addition  to  Quincy.  An  addition  was  also  laid  out  by 
Droulard.  Droulard's  addition  was  afterwards  covered  by 
Wheelock's  and  other  additions,  east  of  the  old  town  plat.  John 
E.  Jeffries  built  the  Land  Office  Hotel. 

In  the  spring  of  1832  the  celebrated  Black  Hawk  war  was 
enacted.  Quincy  and  the  surrounding  country  sent  two  large 
companies  of  volunteers  to  fight  the  Indians.  There  was  a 
great  deal  of  excitement  here  about  the  war,  and  especially  upon 
that  morning  when  the  volunteers  departed  for  the  supposed 
bloody  fields  of  battle.  Of  this  war  we  do  not  propose  to  say 
much.  Have  we  not  "Wakefield's  History  of  the  Black  Hawk 
War,"  and  is  not  that  enough?  Of  those  patriotic  men  who 
went  forth  upon  that  spring  morning  to  fight  the  Indians,  we 
believe  upon  the  return  of  the  expedition  not  one  was  missing, 
but  they  showed  their  pluck  and  had  a  "heap  of  fun,"  as  well  as 
some  hard  times.  John  Wood,  O.  H.  Browning,  Dick  Green, 
Michael  Mast  and  others  were  among  them;  from  the  County, 
William  G.  Flood  and  many  others ;  and  from  Schuyler  County, 
we  believe,  William  A.  Richardson  and  others.  At  the  close  of 
this  year  the  population  of  Quincy  was  estimated  at  about  400 
persons. 

It  was  in  the  year  1833  that  fatal  disease,  cholera,  first  made 
its  advent  here.  On  the  4th  of  July,  when  many  of  the  people 
were  preparing  to  go  to  the  point  where  Ursa  is  now  located, 


43 

then  Peter  Vannest's  store,  to  attend  a  barbecue,  that  the  disease 
made  its  appearance  here.  Two  or  three  of  those  who  had 
prepared  to  go  to  this  barbecue  were  attacked  by  the  disease, 
and  died  before  sundown  of  that  day.  The  utmost  consterna- 
tion prevailed.  Many  with  pale  and  frightened  visage  left  the 
devoted  place  in  great  haste.  Within  the  next  five  days,  Judge 
Snow  informed  the  writer,  thirty-three  deaths  from  cholera 
occurred.  One  gentleman,  Mr.  Browning  who  so  informed  the 
writer,'  had  by  himself  to  take  a  corpse  to  the  cemetery,  dig  a 
grave  and  inter  it.  Finally  the  cholera  disappeared,  but  not 
without  leaving  many  vacant  places  in  many  families.  As 
illustrating  the  action  of  some  of  our  well-remembered  old  time 
inhabitants  of  1833,  we  here  insert  the  record  of  their  proceed- 
ings upon  this  first  visitation  of  Asiatic  cholera.  The  record  is 
is  in  the  well-known  hand-writing  of  the  late  Hon.  Orville  H. 
Browning.  It  will  be  perceived  that  the  poor  fellows  had  but 
little  money,  but  they  had  brave  and  generous  hearts. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Quincy,  held  at  the  Court  House,  in 
Quincy,  Saturday,  the  6th  of  July,  1833,  to  consult  upon  the  means  of  pre- 
venting the  further  spread  of  cholera,  and  to  adopt  measures  for  the  relief 
of  the  sick,  William  G.  Flood,  Esq.,  was  called  to  tb.6  Chair,  and  O.  H. 
Browning  appointed  Secretary  of  the  meeting. 

On  motion,  ordered  that  Thomas  Ford,  J.  T.  Holmes  and  George  Taylor 
be  appointed  a  Committee  to  draft  resolutions,  and  report  to  the  meeting. 

The  Committee  retired,  and  after  some  time  reported  the  following  reso- 
lutions, to-wit : 

Resolved,  That  the  Town  of  Quincy  shall  be  divided  into  three  districts, 
and  Committees  of  Vigilance  appointed  in  each  district. 

Resolved,  That  all  that  part  of  Town  lying  north  of  Hampshire  street 
shall  be  called  the  northern  district,  and  that  R.  S.  Green,  Henry  Bateman, 
Thomas  Thompson,  Peter  Hynes  and  Harrison  Kemp  be  appointed  a  Com- 
mittee of  Vigilance  therein. 

Resolved,  That  all  that  part  of  Town  lying  between  Maine  and  Hamp- 
shire streets  shall  be  called  the  center  district,  and  that  0.  H.  Browning, 
George  Taylor,  Thomas  King,  Joseph  Kelly  and  J.  M.  Higbee  be  appointed 
a  Committee  of  Vigilance  therein. 

Resolved,  That  all  that  part  of  Town  lying  south  of  Maine  street  shall 
be  called  the  south  district,  and  that  J.  T.  Holmes,  William  G.  Flood,  Rufus 
Brown,  E.  S.  Freeman  and  E.  Pierce  be  appointed  a  Committee  of  Vigilance 
therein. 

Resolved,  That  J.  T.  Holmes,  O.  H.  Browning  and  R.  S.  Green,  Chairmen 
of  the  Committees  of  Vigilance,  shall  constitute  a  Board  of  Health  for  the 
Town  of  Quincy  ;  that  they  shall  meet  at  the  Court  House  each  morning 
at  eight  o'clock,  and  oftener  if  necessary,  and  shall  have  power  to  make  all 
necessary  arrangements  to  procure  attendance  and  nourishment  for  the 
sick,  and  burial  for  the  dead. 


44 

Resolved,  That  each  district  Committee  shall,  early  each  morning,  ascer- 
tain the  names  and  residence  of  the  sick  within  his  district,  and  shall  make 
all  necessary  arrangements  for  their  attendance  and  nourishment  until  a 
meeting  of  the  Board  of  Health,  to  whom  they  shall  be  reported. 

The  meeting  concurred  in  the  foregoing  resolutions. 

Ordered  that  the  meeting  adjourn,  and  that  the  Board  of  Health  meet 
to-morrow  morning  at  eight  o'clock. 

The  remainder  of  this  ancient  record,  which  is  before  me,  in  the  hand 
writing  of  Hon.  0.  H.  Browning,  the  then  Secretary,  embraces  the  proceed- 
ings of  the  Board  of  Health,  and  the  reports  of  Committeemen,  and  the 
action  taken  therein,  together  with  the  names  of  the  sick,  from  the  6th  to 
the  10th  of  July  only.  The  cholera  broke  out  here  on  the  4th  of  July, 
though  Dr.  Ralston,  who  came  here  in  June,  1833,  thinks  there  was  a  few 
cases  before  the  4th  of  July.  The  number  of  cases  of  sickness — not  all, 
however,  of  cholera — reported  for  the  7th  of  July  was  forty -three,  in  a  popu- 
lation of  about  400.  The  disease  seems  not  to  have  continued  with  great 
severity  long.  The  actual  number  of  deaths  from  cholera  is  not  stated  in 
the  record.  Among  those  reported  sick  we  find  many  old  familiar  names, 
who  did  not  die  then.  Few  of  them,  however,  are  now  aHve.  Of  the 
Board  of  Health  not  one  is  left.  This  little  record  is  deemed  of  interest 
as  showing  how  the  pioneers  met  the  crisis  of  that  terrible  disease,' 
cholera,  when  it  first  appeared  here.  They  were  strong  men  on  our  hills 
in  that  day — the  true  mettle,  and  with  kind  hearts  and  brave  minds  they 
did  their  duty. 

The  poor  fellows  did  not  have  much  money  then,  'tis  true.  The  follow- 
ing is  all  the  statement  of  their  finances  made  in  the  record.  The  Treasu- 
rer, Levi  B.Allen,  exhibited  his  account,  showing  (July  10)  receipts  by  him  : 

From  subscriptions,  of. $26  95 

Disbursed  for  C.  P.  Anderson's  family 4  00 


Balance  in  hands  of  Treasurer $22  95 

This  balance,  I  presume,  did  not  last  long,  but  if  they  had  but  little 
money  they  had  power  to  work  and  help.  One  of  the  orders  of  the  Board 
of  Health  reads :  "On  motion,  ordered  that  George  Taylor  and  Earl  Pierce 
clean  the  jail  of  Quincy."  This  is  one  of  several  orders  where  they  either 
resolved  that  this  or  that  man  should  do  this  or  that,  or  to  do  it  them- 
selves, and  it  was  done.  The  Board  of  Health  and  the  Committeemen  had 
frequently  not  only  to  wait  upon  and  attend  the  sick,  but  to  bury  the  dead, 
some  of  them  digging  the  graves. 

The  population  of  the  town  at  the  end  of  1833  ^ind  beginning 
of  1834  was  estimated  at  about  500  souls.  It  was  during  this 
year,  1834,  that  the  Matthew  Bayne  census  of  householders  was 
taken,  and  which  will  be  found  in  the  next  chapter.  Though 
very  imperfect,  this  census  will  enable  me  to  mention  the  names 
of  some  old  settlers  which  otherwise  might  be  omitted;  and 
besides,  I  shall  from  my  own  knowledge  be  able  to  make  some 
corrections  as  to  names,  and  to  add  a  few  names  I  know  to  have 
been  omitted.  There  will  also  be  found  among  the  names  some 
whom  I  know  were  not  householders. 


CHAPTER  V. 


TRIP  OF  THE  WRITER  ACROSS  ILLINOIS — THE  APPEARANCE  OF 

QUINCY  IN  THE  FALL  OF  1834 — MATTHEW  BAYNE's 

CENSUS  OF  1834 — THE  EXECUTION  OF  BENNETT 

FOR  KILLING  BAKER— THE  FIRST  TOWN 

ORDINANCE,  AND  MISCELLANEOUS 

MATTERS  AND  EVENTS. 


MATTHISW  BAYNE'S  CENSUS  OF  HEADS  OF  FAMILIES  IN  1834-5. 

William  P. Reader,  D.Eaton, 

Thaddeus  Monroe,  Levi  B.  Allen, 

George  Wood,  Mr.  Chambers, 

Skinner  &  Berry,  H.  Clark, 

J.  R.  M.  LeRoy,  Mr.  Norwood, 

William  S.  Walton,  L.  B.  Skinner, 

Samuel  Naylor,  Mr.  Stephens, 

Anton  Delabar,  C.  Fairhelms, 

Mrs.  Marshall,  Joseph  Charles, 

John  McDade,  H.  Grin, 

William  Hynes,  Mathews  &  Co., 

Mr.  Donaho,  A.  C.  Lightfoot, 

N.  Pease,  Mrs.  Keller, 

Joseph  Morgan,  Charles  Brown, 

Willard  Keyes,  John  Burns,  Jr., 

Benjamin  Munn,  Adam  Nichols, 

John  Watts,  Ruftis  Brown, 

Mrs.  Ball,  William  L.  King, 

Brazilla  Clark,  A.  Pearce, 

George  W.  Hight,  Earl  Pierce, 

Mr.  Dale,  Ira  Pierce, 

Nathaniel  Summers,  Robert  Bangs, 

D.  G.  Whitney  &  Co.,  Elizabeth  Williams, 

Amzi  C.  Root,  I.  Funk, 

Mr.  Farmer,  David  Karnes, 

Robert  Tillson,  Mr.  Mason, 

Louis  Cosson,  I.  Phillips, 


46 


Henry  B.  Swurtz, 
Sam  Leach  man, 
Lewis  R.  Carter, 
James  McQuoid, 
Thomas  C.  King, 
S.  W.  Eogers, 
Joseph  N.  Ralston, 
Milton  D.  Browning, 
Orville  H.  Browning, 
Stephen  B.  Horseman, 
Archibald  Williams, 
R.  R.  Williams, 
James  H.  Ralston, 
Samuel  Alexander, 
David  Walker, 
Joseph  Musser, 
Harrison  Dills, 
Mr.  Hess, 
Anton  Guth, 
John  Black, 
Martin  Ladner, 
George  Watson, 
John  Blow, 
Thomas  Miller,. 
Mr.  Forsythe, 
Mrs.  Dobbins, 
Mr.  Mitchell, 
Moses  Jones, 
Reuben  Turner, 
John  Wood, 
Francis  C.  Moore, 


Mr.  Brangler, 
Mr.  Linnaman, 
George  Westgate, 
S.  F.  Safford, 
A.  Lamer, 
Amos  W.  Harris, 
Levi  Wells, 
George  Brown, 
Joseph  T.  Holmes, 
Dr.  Eells, 
Luther  Edgerton, 
John  P.  Richardson, 
J.  L.  Hornsby, 
Adam  Schmitt, 
Mr.  Rop, 
Henry  H.  Snow, 
Lorenzo  Bull, 
Seth  L.  Pitkin. 
Henry  L.  Montandon, 
Mr.  Jackson, 
L.  Lilly, 
Mr.  Deckman, 
Mr.  Lane, 
Samuel  Hedges, 
Mrs.  Williams, 
Michael  Mast, 
James  D.  Morgan, 
Edward  Wells, 
Henry  Asbury, 
William  Dickhut, 
John  L.  Moore. 


At  the  end  of  the  list  of  names,  and  counting  the  number  set 
down  opposite  to  each  name  as  the  number  of  his  or  her  house- 
hold, the  following  synopsis  is  found: 

Whole  number 689 

Males  over  21  years  of  age 297 

Females  over  21  years  of  age 118 

Males  under  21  years  of  age 139 

Females  under  21  years  of  age 128 

— 682 
Merchants,  21;  lawyers,  6;  doctors,  6. 

Settlers  over  1  year 341 

Settlers  under  1  year 302 

643 

So  this  old  census  contains  in  its  whole  numbers  a  small 
error  of  at  least  forty-six  names  too  many.  I  have  always  sup- 
posed it  too  large,  and  that  our  population  at  the  end  of  1834 
did  not  exceed  600,  if  so  many.  I  find  added  and  attached  to 


47 

this  old  census,  in  a  different  handwriting  from  the  body  of  it 
and  evidently  made  as  late  as  the  end  of  1835,  a  table  and 
synopsis  of  matters  relating  to  Quincy,  and  which,  as  it  affords 
a  kind  of  starting  point  in  the  advance  of  the  town,  I  herewith 
print  it.  The  reader  will  please  consider  it  as  pertaining  to  the 
end  of  the  year  1835.  Thus  it  runs: 

Ten  stores;  four  groceries;  two  drug  stores;  one  land  office; 
one  land  agency  office;  one  postoffice;  one  printing  office;  one 
bonnet  store;  one  mantua-maker  and  milliner  shop;  one  silver- 
smith shop;  one  baker  shop;  two  warehouses:  two  taverns — the 
Land  Office  Hotel  and  Quincy  Hotel;  three  cooper  shops,  three 
cabinet-maker  shops;  twenty-one  merchants;  one  pork  mer- 
chant; six  lawyers;  six  physicians;  three  tavern-keepers ; twenty 
carpenters;  two  saddlers;  two  coopers;  three  blacksmiths;  one 
coach-maker;  two  boot  and  shoe  makers;  one  stone  mason; 
two  bakers;  three  tailors;  two  wagon-makers;  two  butchers; 
one  wheelwright;  two  plasterers;  one  gunsmith;  one  chair- 
maker;  two  brick  masons;  one  steam  mill;  one  carding- 
machine.  The  Town  had  five  mails  by  post-coaches  and  stages. 
Number  of  houses,  one  hundred  and  fifteen;  under  one  year  old, 
twenty-two. 

The  Town  of  Quincy  was,  on  the  24th  day  of  June,  1834,  m~ 
corporated  by  conforming  to  the  State  law,  granting  to  towns 
the  right  of  becoming  so  incorporated.  A.  Williams,  S.  W. 
Rogers,  Levi  Wells,  Michael  Mast,  and  Joseph  T.  Holmes, 
were  elected  the  first  Trustees.  The  Trustees,  at  their  first 
meeting,  a  few  days  after  election,  organized  by  choosing  Archi- 
bald Williams  President,  and  Joseph  T.  Holmes  Secretary  of 
the  Board,  and  soon  thereafter  passed  a  code  of  Ordinances  and 
By-Laws  for  the  Town  of  Quincy,  and  to  the  end  that  the  same 
may  be  duly  preserved  in  our  history,  I  copy  and  print  the  same 
as  follows: 

ARTICLE  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  President  and  Trustees  of  the  Town  of 
Quincy,  That  the  said  town  shall  be  bounded  as  follows,  to-wit:  Com- 
mencing at  the  termination  of street,  in  John  Wood's  addition 

to  Quincy,  two  rods  west  of  low  water  mark  in  the  Mississippi  river,  thence 
running  east  one  mile,  thence  north  one  mile,  thence  west  one  mile,  thence 
south  one  mile  to  the  place  of  the  beginning. 

ARTICLE  2.  Be  it  ordained,  &c.,  That  no  person  shall  be  permitted  to 
shoot  in  the  streets  or  on  any  public  ground  within  the  limits  of  the  Town 
with  any  rifle,  pistol,  musket,  or  shotgun,  or  any  other  fire-arms.  Every 
person  so  offending  shall  forfeit  and  pay  to  the  Trustees  of  said  town  one 
dollar  for  each  and  every  offense. 


48 

ARTICLE  3.  Be  it  ordained,  etc.,  That  no  person  shall  be  permitted  to  bring 
any  dead  animal  and  leave  the  same  to  putrify  within  the  limits  of  the 
town.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  owner  of  any  animal  which  may  die 
within  said  limits  to  cause  the  same  to  be  removed  without  delay.  Every 
person  who  shall  in  any  manner  thus  offend  shall  forfeit  and  pay  to  the 
President  and  Trustees  of  said  town,  the  sum  of  five  dollars  for  each  and 
every  offense. 

ARTICLE  4.  Be  it  ordained,  &e.t  That  no  person  shall  be  permitted  to 
erect  any  obstruction  across  any  water  course  or  ravine  within  the  limits 
of  this  town,  so  as  to  cause  standing  water  on  any  of  the  streets,  lots  or 
alleys  in  said  town. 

And  be  it  further  ordained,  That  «very  person  owning  lots  within  said 
town  on  which  there  shall  be  standing  water  or  any  other  nuisance  that 
would  endanger  the  health  of  any  citizen  of  the  town,  shall  cause  the 
same  to  be  removed  without  delay.  Every  person  who  shall  in  any  man- 
ner neglect  or  refuse  to  conform  to  the  provisions  of  this  ordinance  shall 
forfeit  and  pay  to  the  President  and  Trustees  the  sum  of  five  dollars  for 
every  twenty-four  hours  the  said  obstruction  or  nuisance  shall  remain 
after  having  been  notified  by  any  citizen  of  the  town  to  remove  the  same. 

And  be  it  further  ordained,  That  when  the  owner  of  any  lot  or  lots  upon 
which  there  may  be  any  nuisance  shall  be  a  non-resident  and  can  not  be 
notified,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Collector  of  said  town  to  cause  the 
same  to  be  removed  and  keep  a  true  and  accurate  account  of  the  cost 
thereof  and  collect  the  same  of  the  owner  or  owners  of  said  lot  or  lots  in 
the  saoie  manner  he  makes  other  collections  for  said  President  and 
Trustees. 

ARTICLE  5.  Be  it  ordained,  &c.,  That  no  person  shall  be  permitted  to  ob- 
struct, or  cause  to  be  obstructed,  any  public  street  or  alley  in  the  town  (ex- 
cept as  it  may  be  necessary  for  the  purpose  of  loading  and  discharging 
building  materials,  then  no  longer  than  is  absolutely  necessary  for  said  pur- 
pose). Every  person  so  offending  shall  forfeit  and  pay  to  the  President 
and  Trustees  the  sum  of  fifty  cents  for  every  twenty-four  hours  said 
nuisance  shall  remain  after  having  been  notified  by  any  citizen  of  the 
Town  to  remove  the  same. 

ARTICLE  6.  Be  it  ordained,  cfcc.,That  no  person  shall  be  permitted  to  run, 
or  make  any  indecent  exhibition  of  any  horse  or  horses  within  the  limits 
of  this  Town.  Every  person  so  offending  shall  forfeit  and  pay  to  the  Pres- 
ident and  Trustees  the  sum  of  five  dollars  for  each  and  every  offense. 

And  be  it  further  ordained,  &c.,  That  every  person  who  shall  maliciously 
and  willfully  at  late  day  and  unusual  hours  of  the  night  time,  disturb  the 
peace  of  any  person  or  family  in  this  town,  by  loud  or  unusual  noises  or 
by  tumultupus  and  offensive  carriage,  threatening,  traducing,  quarreling 
challenging  to  fight,  or  fighting,  shall  be  fined  the  sum  of  five  dollars  for 
each  and  every  such  offense. 

ARTICLE  7.  Be  it  ordained,  cl-c.,  That  every  person  who  shall  keep  a  com- 
mon gaming  house,  table  or  room  (within  the  intent  and  meaning  of  the 
126th  section  of  the  Criminal  Code  of  this  State)  within  the  limits  of  the 
town,  shall  be  fined  in  the  sum  of  five  dollars,  and  for  each  and  every 
time  any  person  shall  be  admitted  into  such  house  or  room,  or  at  said  table 
for  the  purpose  of  gambling,  the  owner  thereof  shall  be  fined  three  dollars, 
and  every  person  who  shall  gamble  or  play  at  any  game,  or  bet  on  any 
game  or  games  as  others  may  play  in  or  at  said  house,  room,  or  table,  shall 


49 

be  fined  five  dollars,  and  every  person  who  shall  play  any  game  or  games 
with  cards,  dice,  or  at  billiards,  or  nine  or  ten  pin  alley,  or  with  any 
other  article,  instrument,  thing  or  things  whatsoever,  which  may  be  used 
for  the  purpose  of  playing  or  betting  upon  shall  be  fined  five  dollars  for 
each  and  every  such  offense.  And  every  person  who  shall  bet  on  the 
hands  of  any  person  or  persons  who  may  be  playing  at  any  game  or  games, 
as  aforesaid,  shall  be  fined  in  the  sum  of  two  dollars  for  each  and  every 
such  offense.  ARCHIBALD  WILLIAMS,  President. 

J.  T.  HOLMES,  Clerk. 

On  the  nth  of  May,  1835,  the  President  and  Trustees  fixed 
the  rate  of  taxation  upon  town  lots  at  one-half  of  one  per  cent, 
and  ordered  that  the  Town  Treasurer  assess  all  taxable  property 
in  the  same  manner  as  the  County  Treasurer  has  heretofore 
made  such  assessment.  The  Town  Collector  was  to  collect,  &c. 

The  writer,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  emigrated  to  Quincy 
forty-eight  years  ago,  and  well  remembers  the  long  ride  on 
horseback  through  Indiana  and  Illinois  to  the  banks  of  the  great 
Mississippi  river  at  Quincy,  in  1834.  ^n  company  with  a  young 
friend,  now  no  more,  we  crossed  the  Ohio  river  to  Madison,  In- 
diana; thence  through  Mount  Vernon  and  Martinsville,  striking 
the  national  turnpike  road  some  twenty  miles  east  of  Terre 
Haute;  thence  across  the  Wabash  river  into  the  bottom  lands 
lying  between  that  river  and  Paris,  in  Edgar  County,  Illinois, 
and  staying  all  night  at  the  house  of  a  prosperous  farmer  near 
the  line  which  divides  the  States  of  Indiana  and  Illinois. 
The  Indiana  country  traveled  by  this  route  seemed  in  many 
places  broken  and  poor,  but  on  the  White  River  bottoms  rich 
and  unhealthy.  Doubtless  all  that  country  looks  very  different 
to-day,  but  then  it  seemed  to  us  a  hard  country.  We  break- 
fasted at  Paris,  which  was  even  then  quite  a  village,  and  pur- 
suing our  westward  way,  we  struck  our  first  great  prairie,  and 
traveled  all  day  without  seeing  a  single  human  dwelling  until 
we  approached  a  strip  of  timber  on  the  west  side.  Here  we 
stopped  ior  the  night  at  the  house  of  a  well-to-do  farmer,  from 
Jefferson  County,  Kentucky.  We  found  this  farmer,  like  many 
others  in  the  early  days  of  Illinois,  from  necessity  a  tavern- 
keeper.  Possessing  a  large  and  well-improved  farm,  with  no 
usual  market  for  his  surplus  products,  he  willingly  found  a  mar- 
ket in  customers  in  the  shape  of  travelers.  Our  host  gave  fare 
for  ourselves  and  horses,  and  leaving  him  after  breakfast,  our 
next  day's  route  led  through  a  skirt  of  timber  across  one  or 
more  small  streams,  but  mainly  over  what  appeared  as  an  almost 
boundless  prairie,  bringing  up  at  night  at  an  almost  isolated 

4 


50 

cabin,  with  a  rail  pen  for  a  stable,  and  no  appearance  of  fences 
or  cultivation  in  sight.  This  cabin  was  the  only  stopping  place 
for  miles  in  any  direction.  Our  tired  horses  were  stuck  into  the 
muddy  rail  pen  and  given  a  few  ears  of  corn  and  a  little  prairie 
hay.  They  gave  us  for  supper  some  tolerable  corn  bread  and 
coffee,  and  full  grown  chicken  cock  fried.  We  started  early 
next  morning,  and  by  10  o'clock  reached  a  better  house  and  got 
breakfast.  We  were  now  approaching  the  waters  of  the 
Sangamon  River.  Houses  and  farms  were  now  more  abundant, 
and  at  the  end  of  a  hard  ride,  at  10  o'clock  at  night,  reached 
Springfield,  staying  all  night  at  a  frame  tavern,  a  house  then  of 
some  pretension  and  situated  on  the  public  square.  It  was 
rather  a  hard  place,  however,  and  not  up  to  its  reputation. 
Springfield  then  appeared  to  contain  a  population  of  from  five 
to  seven  hundred  souls,  and  was  then,  as  it  is  now,  the  muddiest 
town  in  the  world.  From  Springfield  we  passed  through 
Island  Grove  to  Jacksonville.  The  settlements  were  sparse ;  no 
great  amount  of  cultivated  land  was  visible,  but  few  frame 
houses  and  none  of  brick  or  stone.  We  found  Jacksonville  to 
contain  several  good  hotels,  a  Court  House,  the  old  Illinois  College 
buildings,  the  then  fine  residence  of  Governor  Joe  Duncan,  many 
stores,  and  upon  the  whole,  it  appeared  the  brightest  and  largest 
town  within  the  State.  It  now  seems  a  little  curious  to  look 
back  and  remember  that  Jacksonville,  in  1834,  was  a  larger 
town  than  Chicago,  Quincy,  Peoria,  Alton  or  Belleville;  yet 
such,  I  think,  was  the  fact.  Staying  over  night  at  Jacksonville, 
we  pursued  our  westward  journey  towards  the  Illinois  river, 
observing  that  the  country  through  which  we  passed  was  less 
developed  than  in  the  vicinities  of  Springfield  and  Jacksonville. 
We  reached  Meredosia  about  sun-down,  and  put  up  at  the  well- 
known  and  long-remembered  white  frame  tavern  situated  upon 
the  bank  of  the  river.  This  house  was  burned  down  only  a 
few  years  since,  and  it  always  maintained  its  original  character. 
The  Illinois  River  is  famous  for  large  catfish.  We  observed, 
soon  after  our  arrival,  a  man  go  down  to  the  river  and  haul  in  a 
line  from  the  water,  at  the  end  of  which  was  a  large  catfish. 
We  had  him  for  supper  and  breakfast.  Ten  years  afterwards 
I  put  up  at  the  same  house,  about  the  same  time  in  the  evening, 
and  the  same  man,  or  one  just  like  him,  went  down  to  the  river 
and  hauled  out  another  catfish  for  supper  and  breakfast.  Ten 
more  years  had  passed,  and  I  was  again  a  guest  of  this  house, 
and  the  same  thing  happened.  On  leaving  the  catfish  hotel,  we 


51 

were  ferried  over  the  river  in  a  flat-boat,  and  landed  on  the 
muddy  bank  on  its  west  side,  and  thence  proceeded  fording  the 
bottom  about  five  miles.  This  was  the  hardest  traveling  we  had 
ever  experienced,  and  only  enlivened  a  little  by  the  sight  of 
thousands  of  ducks,  geese,  swans  and  pelicans  on  every  hand — 
sporting  upon  the  inland  sea.  Finally  we  struck  the  bluff,  and 
ascending,  dripping  with  mud  and  water,  reached  at  night  the 
cheerful  white  frame  dwelling  of  Mr.  Casteen,  where  we  stayed 
all  night.  The  house  was  near  the  present  town  of  Versailles, 
in  Brown  County.  The  next  day  we  passed  through  Mount 
Sterling,  and  I  remember  that  it  had  at  least  one  nice  comforta- 
ble white  frame  dwelling  in  it — that  of  Mr.  Curry.  From 
Mount  Sterling  to  Clayton,  in  Adams  County,  the  dwellings, 
we  observed,  were  all  log  cabins,  At  Clayton,  Mr.  McCoy  re- 
sided in  a  comfortable  white  frame  house.  From  this  place  to 
Dr.  Gilmer's  we  saw  no  frame  or  brick  houses — all  log  cabins. 
Before  coming  to  Quincy  we  visited  the  old  site  of  Fort  Ed- 
wards, now  Warsaw,  in  Hancock  County.  There  remained  a 
part  of  the  old  fort  still  standing,  and  inhabited  by  one  or  two 
families.  Montague  had  a  small  store-house  and  a  stock  of 
goods  on  the  hill,  and  there  was  one  or  two  buildings  under  the 
hill.  This  was  all  of  Warsaw  in  the  fall  of  1834.  Soon  after 
our  visit  to  old  Fort  Edwards  we  came  to  Quincy,  my  traveling 
comrade  passing  on  into  Missouri  while  I  remained.  Quincy 
then  contained  about  five  hundred  inhabitants.  The  old  Land 
Office  Hotel,  sometimes  called  the  bed-bug  hotel,  was  the 
largest  tavern.  There  were  some  half  a  dozen  very  respectable 
frame  houses,  a  good  many  log  houses,  including  a  log  Court 
House  and  jail,  and  several  smaller  frame  houses  and  two  small 
brick  houses  in  the  town.  The  inhabitants  of  the  county  out- 
side of  Quincy  numbered  from  ten  to  twelve  hundred  souls. 

All  along  our  route  from  Madison,  Indiana,  the  dwellings,  ex- 
cept in  the  towns,  were  mostly  log  cabins.  No  railroad  was  to 
be  seen  in  the  long  journey  from  the  Ohio  to  the  Mississippi 
river.  The  boundless  prairies  of  Illinois  seemed  almost  unin- 
habited by  man.  Herds  of  wild  deer  and  flocks  of  wild  turkeys 
frequently  crossed  the  road  near  us,  and  prairie  chickens,  in 
some  localities,  seemed  innumerable.  The  richness  of  the  soil 
was  wonderful,  even  what  was  called  sod  corn  grew  to  great 
height,  and  turned  out  well  as  to  quantity  and  the  quality  of  the 
grain.  In  all  the  timber  lands  and  strips  along  the  water  courses, 
were  found  great  numbers  of  bee  trees,  from  which  the  sparsely 


52 

settled  inhabitants  gathered  their  sweetening.  Honey  and  bees- 
wax were  great  articles  of  commerce.  As  clothing  was  scarce 
and  dear,  the  men  were  in  the  habit  of  wearing  foxed  breeches 
and  roundabouts — that  is,  the  fronts  and  seats  of  the  pantaloons 
were  half-soled  with  buckskin — as  also  the  under  part  of  the 
sleeves  of  the  roundabout,  or  sometimes  the  hunting-shirt.  Thus 
prepared,  a  suit  of  clothes  would  last  for  several  years — but  the 
foxed  part  became,  after  long  use,  as  smooth  and  slick,  and  as 
black  as  the  crown  ot  a  bald-headed  black  man. 

We  do  not  believe  that  we  can  give  a  better  view  of  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  town  at  the  end  of  1834  than  to  insert  here  a 
sketch  previously  written  by  us  and  published: 

When  the  writer  came  to  this  place,  the  best  house  in  it  was  the  two- 
story  frame  building,  owned  by  Henry  B.  Berry.  The  ground  upon  which 
it  stood  is  the  same  as  that  now  covered  by  the  store  of  Joseph  &  Nelke, 
on  the  N.  W.  corner  of  Fourth  and  Hampshire  streets.  West  of  this  house 
on  either  side  of  Hampshire  street  to  the  river  there  was  no  building,  ex- 
cept an  old  cabin  on  what  was  once  the  school  lot  back  of  the  Missouri 
House,  upon  the  hill.  On  the  north  side  of  the  public  square,  east  of  Berry's 
store,  there  was  first  an  old  cabin,  next  Reader's  grocery  store,  now  the 
site  of  the  Whig  office,  next  Mr.  Reader's  dwelling  house,  next  a  store,  and 
next  McFadon's  store.  All  these  were  very  unpretending  frame  buildings. 
But  hard  by  still  further  east  in  all  its  dignity  stood  the  Land  Office  Hotel, 
kept  at  that  time  by  William  S.  Walton;  east  of  this  was  the  residence  of 
Robert  Tillson — log  and  frame.  On  Hampshire  street,  east  of  the  square, 
and  on  the  north  side  there  were  but  three  small  log  cabins,  one  of  which 
stood  back  from  the  street,  and  was  occupied  by  Carter  &  Walker  as  a 
wagon-makers  shop.  On  the  south  side  of  Hampshire,  east  of  the  square, 
and  on  the  corner  of  Fifth  and  Hampshire,  now  known  as  Jonas'  corner, 
was  a  very  good  two-story  frame  building,  owned  by  the  estate  of  J.  M. 
Jones,  deceased.  East  of  Sixth  street  was  the  land  office,  a  one-story  frame 
building,  and  on  the  alley  east  of  it  was  the  log  cabin  of  Anton  Good,  still 
standing,  but  weather-boarded  so  as  to  hide  the  logs.  East  of  this  was  a 
small  hewn  log  house,  and  still  further  east,  occupying  the  site  of  the  Brown- 
ing house,  there  stood  a  double  log  cabin,  and  not  far  north  of  Hampshire 
street,  fronting  on  Eighth,  was  the  house  occupied  by  Colonel  Samuel 
Alexander,  first  Register  of  the  United  States  land  office.  On  the  east  side 
of  the  public  square — then  and  for  years  after  simply  called  the  square — 
now  Washington  Square  or  Park,  besides  the  corner  house  mentioned, 
stood  the  old  log  Court  House,  burned  down  in  the  winter  of  1835-6.  Back 
from  Fifth  street  stood  the  old  log  jail,  and  near  it  a  log  cabin,  afterwards 
used  by  Timothy  Rogers  for  a  time  as  his  first  carriage-makers  shop,  and  in 
which  he  made  his  first  buggy  in  Quincy;  and  not  far  from  this  stood  the 
house  of  Edward  Turner.  On  the  south  side  of  the  square  was  the  two- 
story  frame  store  building  owned  by  Levi  Wells,  a  small  frame  building,  or 
perhaps  two  of  them,  and  the  old  log  tavern  kept  and  owned  by  Rufus 
Brown,  occupying  the  site  of  the  Quincy  House.  On  the  west  side  was  the 
old  postoffice,  on  the  corner  of  Fourth  and  Maine  streets;  a  small  frame 
building,  occupied  afterwards  as  our  first  Mayor's  office;  next  Whitney's 


53 

store,  an  old  one  story  frame  adjoining  Pearson's  frame  store.  Under  the 
hill  there  were  several  small  frame  buildings  north  of  Hampshire  on 
Front  street,  among  them  one  afterwards  owned  by  Artemus  Ward,  and 
the  old  Harkness  tavern,  then  called  the  Steamboat  House.  North  of 
Vermont  street  there  were  two  or  three  small  houses  and  cabins.  The 
frame  part  of  the  building  now  known  as  the  "Lindsay  Church  Home,"  on 
the  corner  of  Fourth  and  Vermont  streets,  was  in  existence,  as  was  also  the 
house  of  Major  Eose,  corner  of  Twelfth  and  Chestnut  streets,  and  also  the 
cottage  of  F.  C.  Moore,  on  the  mound.  Governor  Wood's  first  and  second 
cabins  were  standing.  Though  this  sketch  necessarily  omits  some  houses 
and  cabins  then  in  existence,  I  believe  not  exceeding  thirty  or  forty  are 
omitted,  and  it  may  give  a  very  correct  impression  of  the  general  appear- 
ance of  Quincy  at  the  end  of  the  year  1834.  Of  the  houses  then  erected 
there  now  remain  still  standing  in  their  original  locations  only  the  follow- 
ing: The  frame  part  of  the  Lindsay  Church  Home  building;  Good's  cabin, 
now  weather-boarded,  on  Hampshire  street,  and  opposite  the  Occidental 
Hotel;  the  cottage  of  F.  C.  Moore  on  the  mound,  and  the  frame  house  of 
Major  Rose,  near  the  corner  of  Twelfth  and  Chestnut  streets.  Other 
buildings  there  are  which  have  been  moved  to  new  locations,  which  had 
been  erected  prior  to  the  year  1834.  It  will  be  seen  that  by  the  accom- 
panying census  Quincy  had  over  600  inhabitants,  though  we  have  always 
doubted  it. 

It  appears  that  the  town  had  no  local  laws  or  ordinances  for 
nearly  ten  years  after  it  was  laid  out,  living  under  the  general 
laws  of  the  State  until  June  24,  1834.  The  old  maxim  that 
"without  law  there  is  no  transgression,"  seemed  verified.  Local 
crime  was  scarcely  known,  though  there  were  many  trials  by 
wager  of  battle,  and  for  a  time  a  good  deal  of  drinking  was 
carried  on  upon  public  days  and  occasions.  The  doors  of  the 
earlier  settlers  were  seldom  locked — nothing  was  stolen.  The 
foundation  principles  among  the  people  seemed  to  be  common 
honesty  and  adherence  to  the  side  of  law  and  order.  But  this, 
like  everything,  found  its  exceptions  here  in  a  few  individual 
cases,  but  we  had  not  a  single  tramp.  Three  of  the  men  who 
resided  here  in  or  near  1834  became,  in  after  years,  Governors 
of  the  State — Ford,  Carlin  and  Wood — three  became  United 
States  Senators — Young,  Browning  and  Richardson — one, 
Morgan,  a  Major-General  during  the  great  rebellion. 

The  earliest  settlers  in  this  part  of  the  State  mostly  came 
from  Kentucky,  Virginia,  Tennessee,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  New 
York,  and  the  New  England  States.  It  has  been  supposed 
that,  in  some  degree  at  least,  they  represented  two  former  states 
of  society,  or  civilization.  The  early  introduction  of  African 
slavery  into  the  Colonies  had  softened,  and  for  a  time  seemed  to 
sanctify  in  the  minds  of  the  people  the  "institution."  The  so- 
called  "reformation"  in  religion  three  hundred  years  earlier  had 


54 

divided  the  people  upon  that  subject,  and  so  it  came  to  pass  that 
the  United  States  soon  had  (as  the  Frenchman  alleged)  "a  hun- 
dred religions  and  but  one  soup."  The  most  marked  antag- 
onisms among  our  English  progenitors  were  the  "Churchmen" 
and  "Cavaliers"  on  one  side,  and  the  "Round  Heads"  and 
"Puritans"  on  the  other.  Perhaps,  remotely,  each  of  these  old 
parties  of  the  Mother  Country  had  planted,  through  their  de- 
scendants, their  respective  ideas  and  principles  even  here;  yet 
it  now  seems  scarcely  important  to  try  to  find  out  the  exact 
pedigree  and  blood  of  each  of  our  old  settlers.  They  were  a 
mixed  people  both  in  blood  and  religion.  The  descendant  of 
the  Cavaliers,  if  we  ever  had  any  such  among  us,  stripped  of 
wealth  and  deserted  by  flatterers,  found  it  necessary  to  work  in 
some  way  to  earn  his  bread.  That  old  western,  now  classic, 
maxim  of  "Root  hog,  or  die,"  was  applied  here  to  men  as  well 
as  to  the  "Berkshire."  The  descendant  of  the  Puritans,  or 
more  properly  of  the  Pilgrims — if  we  ever  had  any  such  among 
us — removed  from  his  "happy  land  of  Canaan" — New  England 
— and  stripped  of  all  his  old  time  local  props  and  surroundings, 
quickly  adapted  himself  to  his  new  locality  and  became  in  a 
great  degree  like  other  men,  his  neighbors  mainly.  Our  early 
settlers  were  really  an  instance  of  the  "survival  of  the  fittest" — 
the  first  crop  of  new-comers  from  each  family  have  nearly 
always  turned  out  best.  The  law  of  labor  was  cheerfully  recog- 
nized, and  there  were  really  fewer  loafers  here  than  in  any  other 
community.  Perhaps  owing  to  our  diversified  religious  beliefs, 
we  were  in  a  manner  compelled  to  be  liberal  and  charitable  to- 
wards one  another.  Numerically,  we  were  not  a  very  great 
people  in  1834.  The  whole  population  of  the  State  could  not 
have  exceeded  250,000. 

In  the  month  of  December,  1834,  Bennett  was  executed  here 
for  the  murder  of  Baker,  who  had  been  a  poor,  miserable  old 
sot  and  companion  of  Bennett  himself.  The  killing  was  at  Ben- 
nett's cabin,  above  town,  on  or  near  the  bay  where  both  Baker 
and  Bennett  had  been  carousing  for  some  days — both  no  doubt 
having  mania  from  drink.  Bennett  was  perhaps  the  first  person 
executed  in  the  Military  Tract,  and  but  one  has  since  been  ex- 
ecuted at  the  hand  of  the  law  in  Quincy.  At  10  o'clock  A.  M., 
the  militia  of  the  town  and  neighborhood  was  paraded  under 
the  command  of  Captain  Hedges  and  others  to  form  a  guard  at 
the  execution.  Many  spectators,  including  a  number  of  women, 
attended.  Bennett  was  a  tall,  lean  old  man,  and  when  brought 


55 

out  of  the  old  log  jail,  dressed  in  a  long  white  shroud  and 
cap,  he  walked  behind  the  cart  or  wagon  (driven  by  old 
John  Sly,  who  was  dressed  in  a  buckskin  hunting-shirt)  to  the 
gallows.  All  were  struck  with  the  firm,  Indian-like  tread  and 
carriage  of  the  murderer.  Ht  behaved  with  the  utmost  firmness 
and  dignified  resignation.  In  his  last  speech  he  drew  many 
tears  from  the  great  crowd  of  spectators.  But  that  day  six 
fights  occurred  in  town.  Not  one  of  the  offenders  was 
arraigned  or  fined.  The  writer,  who  had  been  here  only 
about  a  month,  began  to  think  Quincy  a  hard  place. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


THE  COLD  SPELL  OF  FEBRUARY,    1835 — PORK   PACKING  BY 
CAPTAIN  PEASE — THE  ILLINOIS  BOUNTY  LAND  REGIS- 
TER— THE  LAND  SALES — TRIAL  BY  WAGER  OF 
BATTLE — THE  FIRST  STEAM  FERRYBOAT 
— WILD  GAME — OUR  LAST  WOLF 
HUNT,  AND  MISCELLANEOUS 
SKETCHES  TO  1836. 


SHE  winter  of  1834-5  up  to  February  was  remarkably 
favorable.  What  was  usually  called  the  January  thaw  was 
protracted  and  every  way  pleasant,  when,  according  to  my  recol- 
lection, about  the  i5th,  i6th  or  i7th  of  February,  or  perhaps  a 
few  days  earlier  or  later,  we  were  visited  by  three  very  cold 
days,  one  of  them  the  coldest  ever  known  here,  our  single  ther- 
mometer running  down  to  32  degrees  below  zero,  this  cold 
wave  extending  through  the  central  part  of  this  State  and  on  to 
Kentucky.  Edward  Wells,  who  was  here  that  winter,  thinks 
the  cold  spell  commenced  on  the  28th  of  January,  and  not  in 
February.  Nearly  every  fruit  tree  was  either  killed  or  greatly 
injured.  Large  numbers  of  stock,  cattle  and  hogs  perished 
from  cold.  One  of  our  stage  drivers  had  his  face  so  frozen  as  to 
cause  the  loss  of  one  of  his  eyes.  Our  coldest  day  here  was  on 
Saturday,  rivaling  the  celebrated  and  historical  cold  Friday  of 
many  years  previous  in  intensity.  We  may  remark  here,  in 
reference  to  our  climate,  that  for  many  years  during  our  early 
settlements,  in  this  part  of  the  State,  we  had  always  our  Janu- 
ary thaw,  our  June  freshet  in  the  Mississippi  river,  and  our 
Indian  summer  running  into  November,  a  sharp  little  winter, 
which  the  Indians  called  Squaw  winter,  preceding  the  Indian 


57 

summer,  at  the  end  of  which  came  real  winter.  We  have  never 
had  during  the  fall  of  the  year  so  great  a  rise  in  the  Mississippi 
— near  nineteen  feet  above  low  water  mark — as  during  the  fall 
of  1881. 

It  is  alleged  that  Captain  Nathaniel  Pease  packed  a  few  hogs 
in  1833,  but  in  the  fall  and  winter  of  1834-5  he  commenced  as  a 
permanent  line  of  business  here  the  purchase  of  and  the  pack- 
ing of  pork.  He  bought  over  $15,000  worth  at  low  prices, 
upon  which  he  realized  very  handsome  profits.  Captain  Pease 
died  in  1836,  deeply  lamented.  He  was  a  man  of  great  energy 
and  enterprise,  and  had  he  lived  would  have  most  probably  be- 
come one  ol  the  first  merchants  of  the  west.  He  left  very  con- 
siderable estate,  which  was  equally  divided  among  his  children. 

Our  first  newspaper  (Vol.  i,  No.  i),  the  Illinois  Bounty  Land 
Register,  a  weekly  newspaper  published  by  C.  M.  Woods  & 
Co.,  made  its  advent  among  us  April  17,  1835,  from  the  house 
on  the  north  side  of  the  Public  Square  one  door  west  of  Rogers 
&  Dutcher's  store,  not  far  from  the  present  office  of  the  Quincy 
Whig.  I  deem  it  proper  now  to  state  that  the  Illinois  Bounty 
Land  Register,  under  its  first  management,  was  from  its  first 
number  to  its  last  among  the  best  papers  then  published  in  the 
State.  Judge  Young,  in  whose  interest  the  paper  was  started, 
wrote  many  of  its  ablest  articles.  Dunbar  Aldrich  and  C.  M. 
Woods,  both  practical  printers,  made  an  efficient  double  team  of 
publishers,  and  whilst  the  paper  was  from  the  first  Democratic 
in  its  politics,  there  was  little  or  no  abuse  or  intentional  misrep- 
resentation of  other  parties  or  individuals  found  in  its  columns. 
From  this  first  number  of  the  paper  we  extract  the  following, 
from  the  pen  of  Joseph  T.  Holmes,  Esq.: 

"From  the  ist  of  July,  1831,  to  the  same  time  in  1832,  there 
was  imported  into  Quincy  produce  consisting  principally  of  flour 
and  bacon,  according  to  the  best  information,  of  the  value  of 
$5,000.  From  the  ist  of  July,  1834,  to  tne  istof  July,  1835, 
with  an  increased  population  there  will  be  no  importation  of  the 
above  articles,  but  on  the  contrary,  from  the  best  estimates  from 
data  which  may  be  relied  upon,  it  may  be  safely  stated  that 
produce  consisting  of  the  above  articles  will  be  exported  to  the 
value  of  $40,000.  The  quantity  of  wheat  purchased  and  ground 
at  the  Quincy  Steam  Mill  from  the  ist  of  August,  1834,  to  tne 
ist  of  April,  1835,  i§  about  24,900  bushels,  producing  about 
4,980  barrels  of  flour.  The  present  price  of  wheat  delivered  in 
the  mill  is  50  cents  per  bushel,  and  the  price  of  flour  $4  per 
barrel." 


58 

The  first  public  sale  of  land  by  the  United  States  at  the  land 
office  in  Quincy  commenced  the  i5th  day  of  June,  1835.  Con- 
flicting claims  to  pre-emptions,  or  the  right  to  enter  a  particular 
tract  of  land,  frequently  arose  between  claimants.  Two  men 
quarreled  as  to  the  right  to  enter  a  certain  tract,  both  claiming 
this  right  but  neither  having  made  sufficient  proof  under  the 
pre-emption  law.  They  concluded  to  settle  the  matter  by  a 
fight,  agreeing  that  the  best  man  in  the  fight  should  have  the 
land.  They  stripped  and  fought  on  Sixth  street.  The  victor 
got  the  land.  The  parties  made  friends  and  went  home. 

In  July,  1835,  the  first  steam  ferryboat  used  at  this  point  on 
the  river  was  brought  here  by  Mr.  Keyes.  Before  this  time 
travelers  going  West  from  this  place  were  ferried  over  the  river 
in  flatboats,  with  great  labor  and  hard  rowing.  The  new  boat 
was  very  old  and  old-fashioned,  much  worn,  and  had  quite  too 
inefficient  boilers  and  engine  for  the  strong  current.  She  was 
dead  slow,  but  in  contrast  with  the  old  ferry  flat  she  was  highly 
esteemed,  and  her  arrival  here  was  hailed  as  a  great  event.  The 
enterprise  manifested  in  bringing  her  seemed  to  demand  on  our 
parts  some  extra  patronage,  and  so  to  that  end,  at  50  cents  a 
head,  we  got  up  a  pleasure  party  to  go  on  the  boat  to  La 
Grange.  More  than  fifty  of  our  best  people,  ladies  and  gentle- 
men, emarked  at  the  Quincy  landing — the  foot  of  Vermont 
street — at  about  3  o'clock  p.  M.  Soon  after  starting  the  engine 
became  disabled,  from  the  pump  which  supplied  the  boiler  with 
water  getting  clogged  with  a  chunk  of  wood.  The  boiler  soon 
became  nearly  dry,  really  threatening  a  blow  up.  But  little 
steam  could,  however,  be  generated,  and  of  course  no  headway 
could  be  made.  We  were  compelled  to  land  on  Mosquito  Island, 
within  sight  of  our  starting  point.  The  boat  had  scarcely 
touched  the  muddy  bank  of  the  Island  when  tens  of  millions  of 
mosquitoes,  apparently  the  most  hungry  and  ravenous  we  ever 
met,  rushed  upon  us,  thrusting  their  sharp  bills  into  the  faces, 
hands  and  arms  of  all  on  board  except  the  engineer,  one  of  the 
Clark  boys,  who  was  duly  greased  for  the  contest.  We  had  to 
remain  at  this  place  till  about  u  o'clock  at  night,  when  the 
engineer  announced  that  he  had  relieved  the  strangled  pump 
and  was  ready  to  proceed  to  the  end  of  our  destination.  Many 
were,  however,  for  at  once  returning  home,  but  the  majority 
cried,  "Go  ahead,"  and  we  arrived  at  La  Grange,  about  eight 
miles  above  Quincy,  at  2  o'clock  in  the  morning,  running  at  the 
rate  of  about  one  mile  an  hour.  The  party  had  been  organized 


59 

with  the  expectation  of  returning  to  our  starting  point  at  least 
by  sundown.  At  La  Grange  we  knocked  up  the  sole  grocery 
keeper  and  bought  crackers,  cheese  and  candy,  as  by  this  time 
all  were  hungry;  and  to  cap  the  climax  of  misery  it  suddenly 
turned  quite  chilly.  The  ladies,  mostly  dressed  in  white,  with- 
out shawls  or  wraps,  really  suffered.  The  boat  finally  landed 
us  at  Quincy  at  daylight,  and  slowly,  sleepily,  greatly  mosquito- 
bitten  and  fatigued  we  ascended  the  hill,  agreeing  that  the  trip 
must  be  calculated  by  its  romance  only.  Of  all  that  goodly 
company  who  went  upon  this  La  Grange  pleasure  party  of 
forty-six  years  ago,  nearly  all  of  them  have  been  ferried  over 
the  Styx.  Some,  however,  yet  remain  who  may  probably  read 
this  sketch,  and  probably  laugh  over  the  recollections  of  this 
famous  pleasure  party  of  1835.  Only  the  following  are  known 
by  the  writer  to  be  living:  Mrs.  Robert  Tillson;  Mrs.  Dr. 
Ralston,  then  Miss  Mitchell;  Miss  Burrell,  now  Mrs.  Stamps, 
Miss  Curtis,  now  Mrs.  Dutcher,  both  of  St.  Louis;  the  writer, 
and  perhaps  a  few  others.  Town  lots  still  remained  low  here. 
Some  very  good  ones  sold  this  year  at  from  two  to  three  hun- 
dred dollars  each.  A  few  cases  of  cholera  occurred  in  June  of 
this  summer.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dale,  and  Mrs.  Stamper,  a  sister 
of  Judge  and  Doctor  Ralston,  died  of  this  disease.  At  the 
April  term  of  the  Circuit  Court  this  year  there  were  seventy 
cases  on  the  docket.  Not  many  years  thereafter  there  were 
600  cases,  showing  an  increase  of  business  in  the  courts  some- 
what proportionate  toother  matters. 

During  all  the  earlier  periods  of  white  settlements  here,  and 
up  to  1836,  there  were  in  our  vicinity  an  abundance  of  wild 
game.  On  Bay  Island  I  have  frequently  seen  large  herds  of 
deer  and  flocks  of  wild  turkeys.  Indeed,  in  that  long  stretch  of 
country  from  Quincy  to  Warsaw,  under  the  bluffs,  and  also 
within  3.  like  stretch  of  country  below  this  point,  for  nearly 
eighty  miles  of  bottom  lands,  under  the  bluffs,  deer  and  turkeys 
and  the  occasional  appearance  of  a  few  bears  made  this  border 
land  a  happy  hunting  ground,  which  the  Indians  very  reluc- 
tantly retired  from  upon  the  advance  of  white  settlements. 
During  the  spring  and  fall  of  the  year,  then,  as  now,  large  flocks 
of  wild  geese,  ducks,  swans,  pelicans  and  brant  were  to  be  seen 
upon  the  points  of  our  islands  and  in  the  ponds  and  sloughs  ot 
the  bottom  lands.  They  were  more  abundant  in  the  earlier 
times  than  even  now,  and  it  was  common  once  a  year,  generally 
in  the  autumn,  for  many  of  our  quasi  hunters  to  fix  up  and  camp 


60 

out  in  the  bottoms  for  a  few  days  and  nights  to  hunt  and  shoot 
geese  and  ducks.  I  well  remember  several  of  these  expe- 
ditions, of  which  I  was  one  of  a  party  and  in  which  as  many  as 
a  hundred  of  ducks  and  geese  were  killed.  At  night  when  the 
tent  was  pitched,  the  camp-fire  well  started  in  its  front,  the  sup- 
per prepared  and  eaten  with  a  relish  elsewhere  unknown,  the 
blankets  and  buffalo  robes  spread  for  couches  and  all  laid  out 
for  the  night,  somehow  it  seemed  expected,  at  least  for  the  first 
night  of  the  encampment,  that  some  one  of  the  party,  perhaps 
the  one  least  qualified,  would  commence  to  tell  a  story.  Some 
of  these  stories  appeared  very  funny  to  the  rest,  all  somewhat 
exhilarated  by  such  a  hot  punch  as  Neal  Dow  and  the  Tem- 
perance Unions  never  dreamed  of,  or  at  least  talk  about,  except 
to  condemn.  The  first  story  thus  told  was  followed  by  another 
and  another,  until  all  had  made  his  contribution,  except,  perhaps, 
one  who  in  lieu  thereof  was  required  to  make  a  speech  or  sing 
a  song.  Upon  one  occasion  one  of  the  party  had  told  no  story, 
and  could  not  make  a  speech  or  sing  a  song.  Indeed,  on  this 
occasion  he  was  the  "sober-sides"  of  the  crowd,  but  he  said  he 
had  heard  once  on  a  steamboat  on  the  Ohio  River,  in  1835,  a 
play  actor  recite  what  he  said  was  a  negro  sermon,  and  if  they 
would  accept  his  recollection  of  it  he  would  give  it  to  them.  By 
this  time  the  camp  had  risen  to  its  feet,  determined  that  the  de- 
linquent should  comply  with  the  agreement,  but  being  willing 
to  accept  the  negro  sermon,  off  he  started,  giving  as  near  the 
tone  and  gestures  of  the  play  actor  as  he  could,  but  first  remark- 
ing that  the  sermon  related  to  the  devil.  They  all  said:  "Go 
ahead;  let's  hear  about  the  devil,  or  Tom  Walker,  or  some- 
thing." And  so  here  follows  the  sermon: 

"Dearly  b'loved  brethren,  since  you  spoke  ob  de  debil  it  now 
'hooves  me  to  'scribe  him  to  you.  He  is  a  naushus  animal ;  outen 
his  mouf  come  de  four-forked  lightnin' ;  his  eyes  shine  like  two  log 
heaps  afire  by  moonshine,  ah;  his  tail  is  forty  feet  long  and  maybe 
mo';  he  will  catch  you  betwixt  de  head  an'  de  shoulda,  like  a 
ground  hog  catch  a  chicken,  an'  he  will  jerk  you  from  hell  to 
breakfast  time,  ah ;  he  will  haul  off  you'  shirt  an'  heap  live  coals 
of  fiah  upon  you'  bare  back,  an'  you  will  writhe,  an'  screw, 
an'  work  yourself,  an'  snort  like  a  hoss,  ah." 

I  decline  to  say  how  the  sermon  was  received  by  the  camp, 
(one  of  us  was  a  Methodist  class  leader,)  but  the  delinquent  had, 
as  the  theatre  folks  say,  to  submit  to  an  encore,  at  the  end  of 
which  a  big  owl  in  the  top  of  a  tree  near  by,  which  had  prob- 


61 

ably  been  attracted  to  our  vicinity  by  our  firelight,  deliberately 
said:  "Ho!  ho!  ho!  ho!  ah!"  As  by  this  time  it  was  past  mid- 
night, we  fell  into  innocent  sleep,  with  the  parting  salutation  of 
the  owl  ringing  in  our  ears. 

Upon  the  subject  of  early  game  and  wild  animals  in  our 
vicinity,  there  was  one  very  fierce  and  strong  creature  to  be 
found  in  the  thickets,  as  well  above  as  under  the  bluffs — a  species 
of  wildcat.  The  country  people  used  to  call  him  the  lynx. 
Skins  of  this  animal,  with  the  skins  of  raccoons,  minks  and 
muskrats,  were  brought  into  the  stores  and  sold  in  abundance. 
The  prairie  chickens  were  innumerable,  coming  into  the  town, 
as  well  as  many  flocks  of  quails.  The  last  of  this  large  species 
of  wildcat  or  lynx  seen  by  the  writer  was  about  the  year  1838, 
at  a  point  not  far  from  the  old  Felt  place,  southeast  of  the  town. 
I  was  out  with  with  a  single-barreled  shotgun  loaded  with  quail 
shot,  not  expecting  to  see  any  large  game.  In  going  through  a 
hazle  thicket  into  which  a  large  tree  had  fallen,  I  mounted  the 
tree  as  it  lay,  and  walking  out  upon  it  towards  the  top  and  into 
a  place  where  I  could  overlook  the  entire  thicket,  heard  a  rustle 
in  the  leaves  near  by,  when,  looking  in  the  direction  whence 
proceeded  the  sound,  I  saw  the  largest  one  of  these  animals  I 
ever  saw,  slowly  and  sullenly  moving  off,  as  if  he  did  not  care 
whether  he  went  or  not.  My  quail  shot  I  knew  would  not  hurt 
him  much,  so  did  not  fire  at .  him,  whilst  he  finally  disappeared. 
I  did  not  follow  him,  preferring  to  let  him  alone  if  he  would  let 
me  alone.  This  animal  had  the  reputation  of  being  fond  of 
roasting  pigs,  though,  unlike  an  old  Virginian,  he  ate  his  pigs 
raw.  As  I  turned  around  to  come  down  from  the  fallen  tree  a 
deer  bounded  out  of  this  same  thicket,  and  I  did  not  fire  at  him 
either,  but  felt  rather  humiliated  at  the  thought  of  having  gone 
hunting  with  such  shooting  irons  and  ammunition.  In  early 
times  our  county  was  infested  with  wolves,  but  our  settlers  were 
after  a  while  united  in  their  efforts  to  exterminate  them.  Indeed, 
the  State  for  a  time  paid  a  bounty  for  wolf  scalps.  After  the 
considerable  settlement  of  the  county  the  wolves  became  scarce 
in  our  vicinity,  but  as  late  as  about  1845  or  46  (precise  date  not  re- 
membered, but  during  the  forties,)  the  central  parts  of  the  county 
were  visited  by  a  small  pack  of  gray  wolves,  which  made  sad 
havoc  among  the  sheep.  The  people  resolved  upon  a  wolf 
hunt,  and  the  writer,  with  Wilson  Lane  and  others  from  Quincy, 
attended.  The  hunt  was  arranged  in  the  most  judicious  man- 
ner, and  was  participated  in  by  not  less  than  one  thousand  men. 


62 

The  entire  proceedings  may  be  described  in  a  few  words.  A 
preliminary  meeting  appointed  five  captains  of  the  hunt,  one  to 
command  the  east  line,  one  the  south,  one  the  west  and  one  the 
north  line.  Over  all  was  a  chief,  who  had  command  of  the 
whole.  Each  line  starting  very  early  in  the  morning  from  desig- 
nated points,  were  to  spread  themselves  from  right  to  left,  so  as 
to  cover  the  whole  outward  line,  which  had,  at  starting,  a  cir- 
cumference of  nearly  forty  miles.  A  central  point  had  been 
fixed  about  two  miles  east  of  Little  Mill  creek,  on  the  Columbus 
road,  and  where  a  spot  of  ground  some  four  acres  was  mainly 
covered  by  a  hazle  and  plum  thicket,  but  surrounded  upon  three 
sides  by  the  open  prairie,  from  which  objects  could  be  seen  in 
the  thicket  through  the  openings  in  the  same.  At  a  given  hour 
the  men  on  each  division,  facing  inwards  and  towards  the  centre, 
advanced.  Every  advancing  party  as  it  made,  say  one  mile, 
towards  the  centre,  was  shortened  and  became  more  compact, 
until  they  arrived  within  about  150  yards  of  the  thicket,  when  the 
line  was  solid,  or  so  that  each  man  could  nearly  touch  his  neigh- 
bor. This  solid  line  was  composed  of  men  on  foot,  such  horses  as 
had  been  ridden  at  the  start  being  left  in  the  rear.  The  line  being 
now  in  position,  it  was  not  long  before  it  was  discovered  that  it  had 
"corralled"  two  large  gray  wolves,  the  very  fellows  the  hunt 
was  after,  and  then,  my  readers  may  well  believe,  the  excite- 
ment began.  It  beat  a  political  compaign  or  a  camp  meeting, 
but  nobody  was  permitted  to  "holler"  or  to  shout  or  shoot. 
The  shooting  of  the  wolves  was  to  be  done  by  two  old  Ken- 
tucky hunters  with  rifles.  No  one  else  was  permitted  to  fire  or 
to  go  inside  the  line.  The  wolves  now  having  taken  the  alarm, 
again  and  again  charged  as  if  determined  to  go  through,  but 
always  stopped  within  a  few  steps  of  the  men  in  line.  When 
the  wolf  approached  as  if  he  intended  to  go  through  anyhow, 
the  men  at  the  threatened  point  then  did  some  loud  yelling,  and 
with  the  motion  of  their  clubs  made  the  wolf  turn  round  and  go 
back  to  his  thicket.  We  had  two  or  three  stout  bull  dogs 
which  were  permitted  to  go  in,  but  the  wolf  gave  them  one  snap 
and  they  scampered  out  as  if  scared  nearly  to  death.  At  the 
end  of  about  half  an  hour  the  shooters  were  sent  inside  the  line. 
Both  wolves  were  together,  and  both  were  fired  upon.  One 
fell  dead,  but  the  other  was  only  wounded,  and  now,  with  blood 
streaming  down  his  sides,  he  made  a  desperate  rush  to  escape, 
running  around  the  entire  line,  vainly  seeking  an  unguarded 
point  for  escape,  when  finally,  as  he  loped  past  one  of  the  rifle- 


63 

men,  he  was  brought  down  dead.  Now  the  hunt  was  over, 
the  wolves  were  hauled  up  to  the  road  and  inspected  by  all,  and 
all  wondered  at  their  great  size  and  savage  appearance.  I  did 
not  stop  to  measure  them,  but  think  they  must  have  been,  or 
seemed  to  be,  near  three  feet  in  height,  and  when  dead  and 
stretched  out  upon  the  ground  would  have  measured  from  the 
tip  of  their  noses  to  the  end  of  their  tails  over  six  feet. 
These  were  the  real  sheep-eating  gray  wolves,  and  most  ter- 
rible animals  to  look  upon  they  were.  This  was  our  last  suc- 
cessful wolf  hunt,  and  the  country  over  which  it  passed  is  now 
nearly  all  under  cultivation.  As  the  days  for  wolf  hunting  here 
have  long  since  passed,  I  have  deemed  it  proper  to  describe  our 
last  one. 

The  year  1836  presented  a  new  era  in  our  history.  The  in- 
habitants of  Quincy,  even  in  1835,  consisted  of  people  from  nearly 
all  the  States  of  Europe  and  America,  the  native  American  pop- 
ulation, however,  very  greatly  preponderating — they  naturally 
brought  with  them  their  former  conventional  usages,  and  to 
some  extent  their  provincial  rules  of  politeness.  The  educated 
and  refined  everywhere,  however,  have  no  necessary  collisions; 
but  in  a  new  country  all  are  not  educated  and  refined.  Two 
great  parties  had  early  existed  here,  they  were  neither  political 
nor  religious,  they  were  called  Yankees  and  Kentuckians,  to 
which,  in  a  degree,  all  others  were  attached,  as  it  suited  their  in- 
clinations. The  Kentuckians'  "hoss"  and  his  "cawn"  bread,  both 
"plain  and'  cracklin,"  and  his  hog  and  hominy,  was  contrasted 
with  the  Yankees'  "keow"  and  "karf,"  pork  and  beans,  his 
doughnuts  and  fried  wonders.  The  Dutchman,  however,  soon 
set  up  his  tastes  and  ideas,  with  sauer-kraut,  liver-wurst  and 
limburger  cheese.  All  parties  at  once  gave  it  up  that  this 
cheese  laid  out  all  other  victual  smells  at  least.  Kegel's  "Dutch 
delicacies"  had  not  arrived  then.  These  little  straws,  showing 
which  way  our  winds  came,  soon  passed  out  of  sight,  almost 
before  they  were  noted,  when  there  sprung  up  among  us,  over- 
riding all  small  prejudices  and  tastes,  a  feeling  of  friendship  and 
fellowship  towards  everyone  who  had  come  to  live  among  us. 
We  began  to  look  forward  to  the  appoaching  time  when  Quincy 
should  become  a  large  town,  and  eventually  a  large  city  upon  the 
great  "Father  of  Waters."  The  soil  around  us  was  the  richest  and 
most  fertile  any  of  us  had  ever  seen.  Trees  of  every  kind  grew, 
as  we  have  elsewhere  stated,  with  wonderful  rapidity.  The 
vegetable  kingdom  was  marvelous;  our  watermelons  beat  Iowa; 


64 

our  pumpkins  and  turnips  and  potatoes  and  cabbage  grew  so 
large  that  if  I  were  here  to  describe  them,  the  reader  would  be 
inclined  to  look  with  suspicion  upon  the  veracity  of  our  whole 
book.  This  year,  1836,  town  lots  rose  in  price  and  value;  sev- 
eral good  frame  and  one  or  more  brick  stores  were  put  up.  A 
considerable  number  was  added  to  our  population,  bringing  us 
up  to  about  i, ooo  inhabitants.  The  interest  of  C.  M.  Woods  in 
the  Illinois  Bounty  Land  Register  was,  on  the  i5th  of  Novem- 
ber, transferred  to  John  H.  Pettit,  late  from  Cincinnati,  and  the 
paper  at  first  assumed  the  name  of  The  putney  Argus  and 
Illinois  Bounty  Land  Register.  As  concerning  Quincy,  in  No- 
vember, 1836,  we  published  the  following  from  that  paper,  dated 
November  8,  1836.  The  whole  presidential  vote  of  the  county, 
counting  by  majorities,  was  only  295.  Van  Buren's  majority  in 
the  county  was  283 — in  Quincy  84.  The  entire  vote  of  the 
county  did  not  exceed,  we  believe,  about  800.  This  number  of 
the  paper  had  the  following  editorial: 

QUINCY. 

We  do  not  believe  that  there  is  a  town  in  the  State  of  Illinois,  saving 
perhaps  Chicago,  which  has  increased  at  any  time  with  the  rapidity  of 
Quincy  for  the  past  summer  and  fall.  Besides  the  Court  House  (the  old 
brick  on  the  east  side  of  the  public  square),  the  Methodist  Church,  (on 
Vermont  street)  one  store  and  two  dwellings  of  brick,  there  has  been 
erected  between  sixty  and  ninety  frame  buildings  for  stores,  machine 
shops,  &c.  There  has  been  upwards  of  two  hundred  mechanics  and 
laborers,  who  were  not  residents  of  the  town  in  constant  employ,  and  work 
for  a  hundred  more,  if  they  could  have  been  procured.  The  business  of 
the  town  has  increased  in  proportion  to  its  growth.  The  increase  of  our 
population  has  been  so  great,  that  it  is  impossible  for  them  all  to  procure 
houses  for  love  or  money.  The  situation  of  Quincy — the  fine  country  in 
its  vicinity,  and  the  landing  of  steamboats  equalled  by  few  and  surpassed 
by  none  on  the  Mississippi,  offer  sufficient  inducements  to  merchants  and 
mechanics  who  wish  to  make  a  permanent  location.  If  in  the  course  of 
ten  years,  and  perhaps  sooner,  Quincy  is  not  the  largest  town  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi above  the  mouth  of  Ohio,  except  St.  Louis,  then  we  will  confess 
that  we  are  destitute  of  the  gift  of  prophecy. 

We  believe  that  this  prophecy  of  John  H  Pettit  has  been  fully 
sustained.  After  some  years  he  returned  to  Cincinnati,  where 
I,  in  after  years,  met  him,  and  though  he  and  I  had  always 
been  opposed  politically,  I  found  him  the  same  large-hearted, 
kindly  gentleman  he  had  always  appeared  here. 

In  this  year  we  had  our  first  disturbing  agitation  upon  the 
Anti-Slavery  and  so-called  Abolition  question  among  us.  There 
were  many  of  our  people  upon  each  side  of  the  question  as  pre- 
sented. Whilst  few  would  acknowledge  that  they  were  objec- 


65 

lively  for  slavery,  yet  the  majority,  especially  those  from  slave- 
holding  States,  considered  it  an  insult  to  be  called  an  Abolition- 
ist. Living  as  we  did  upon  the  border  of  the  slave-holding 
State  of  Missouri,  where  the  cry  of  Abolitionist,  as  applied  to 
anyone,  was  like  the  cry  of  mad  dog  applied  to  any  unfortunate 
canine  thus  denounced,  it  was  easy  to  throw  our  people  into 
excitement  upon  the  subject  of  slavery.  In  after  years  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  could  say,  causing  men  to  think,  that  he  thought 
that  the  black  man  was  entitled  to  eat  the  bread  his  own  hands 
had  earned;  and  that  if  slavery  was  not  wrong,  then  nothing 
was  wrong.  But  with  all  his  bravery  and  high  principles,  I 
doubt  if  he  would  have  said  that  publicly  in  Quincy  in  1836. 

An  article  in  the  Marion  Journal,  of  the  2ist  of  May,  1836, 
substantially  copied  into  the  Bounty  Land  Register,  at  Quincy, 
Friday,  May  27,  states  in  effect  that  a  man  named  Garret  had 
introduced  into  our  neighboring  county  of  Marion,  Mo.,  two 
boxes  of  abolition  papers,  tracts,  pamphlets,  &c.,  which  were  in 
the  custody  of  one  Williams.  Upwards  of  fifty  citizens  pro- 
ceeded with  the  proper  officer  to  the  house  of  Williams;  a  box 
of  pamphlets,  &c.,  was  found  in  a  corn  crib,  and  upon  examina- 
tion, says  the  Journal,  were  found  of  a  most  inflammatory  char- 
acter, and  so  were  burned  to  the  tune  of  the  "Rogue's  March." 
Williams  getting  wind  of  the  coming  storm,  had  taken  the  free 
negroes  into  Illinois,  and  he,  as  also  Garret,  having  received  no- 
tice to  leave  the  State,  came  away. 

On  Sunday,  May  22,  there  appears  to  have  been  a  religious 
meeting  at  the  camp-ground,  in  Marion  County.  Dr.  Nel- 
son had  closed  a  sermon,  and  Muldrow,  as  the  Journal  under- 
stood it,  requested  the  Doctor  to  read  a  paper  which  he  for- 
warded for  that  purpose,  when  Dr.  Bosley  objecting,  said  it 
should  not  be  read,  and,  as  some  accounts  state,  made  at  Mul- 
drow with  a  cane,  as  if  to  strike.  A  scuffle  ensued  in  which 
Bosley  was  stabbed.  I  may,  without  further  detail,  state  that 
Muldrow  was  placed  in  custody,  afterwards  tried  and  acquitted, 
and  that  Dr.  Bosley  recovered  from  his  would.  A  great  and 
threatening  excitement  ensued,  and  Dr.  Nelson  came  to  Quincy, 
wading  through  the  high  waters  of  the  river  bottom  and  ap- 
pearing here  wet  and  muddy  from  head  to  foot  at  a  late  hour  of 
the  Sunday  night  mentioned.  The  Doctor  had  been  followed 
by  a  long-haired  Missourian,  wet  and  muddy,  a  chivalrous 
Southerner  though,  who  arrived  here  soon  after  Dr.  Nelson 
came,  and  his  story  of  the  difficulty  and  the  excitement  over  the 

5 


66 

river  fully  justified  the  flight  of  the  Doctor.  The  most  exagger- 
ated news  of  the  affair,  as  also  of  the  arrival  of  Dr.  Nelson,  ran  all 
around  the  town  before  morning.  The  next  day  a  self-consti- 
tuted committee  of  citizens  of  Quincy  waited  upon  the  Doctor, 
protesting  against  his  coming  here  at  all,  and  especially  against 
his  alleged  purpose  to  remove  here  with  his  family.  The  men 
of  this  committee  are  all  dead,  and  we  do  not  mention  their 
names.  They  were  not  bad  men,  but  simply  Democrats — Anti- 
Abolitionists.  We  may  here  remark,  that  Dr.  Nelson,  Dr. 
Bosley  and  Muldrow  were  all  Southern  men  arid  all  had  been, 
and  perhaps  all  of  them  were  then  slave-holders.  Whilst  the 
long-haired  Missourian  that  followed  Dr.  Nelson  through  the 
the  overflowed  bottom  that  Sunday  night  like  a  sleuth-hound, 
and  who  reported  here  upon  his  arrival  that  the  Doctor  himself 
had  stabbed  Bosley,  perhaps  never  owned  a  slave  in  his  life.  I 
do  not  know  his  name  and  may  be  mistaken  upon  this  point, 
but  now,  after  the  lapse  of  many  years,  when  most  of  our  con- 
temporaries of  that  period  are  dead,  and  in  view  of  my  own 
observation  of  events  then  and  since,  I  record  my  belief  that  as 
a  fact,  at  least  eight  to  one  of  the  poor  fellows  of  the  South  who, 
in  after  years,  fought  in  the  ranks  of  the  rebel  army,  were  non- 
slave-holders. 

It  appears  from  an  article  published  in  the  Illinois  Bounty 
Land  Register p,  of  Friday,  May  27,  1836,  written  by  Dr.  David 
Nelson  himself  and  addressed  to  those  of  Marion  County  who 
threatened  him,  that  the  paper  handed  him  to  be  read  at  the 
camp-ground  proposed  a  colonization  effort  on  a  large  scale, 
which  project,  the  Doctor  says,  he  himself  did  not  approve.  It 
appears  that  a  few  days  before  this  camp-ground  meeting  there 
had  been  a  public  meeting  at  Palmyra,  in  which  they  approved 
the  recent  conduct  of  a  portion  of  the  citizens  of  Marion  County 
towards  Messrs.  Garret  and  Williams,  denominated  two  avowed 
advocates  and  missionaries  of  Abolition  who  came  among  them 
to  excite  their  slaves  to  rebellion  by  the  use  of  incendiary 
pamphlets,  by  pictorial  representations  of  imagined  cruelty,  and 
by  other  artful  appeals  to  their  passions,  eminently  calculated  to 
weaken  the  obligation  of  their  obedience.  They  declared  their 
determination  to  assert  their  inherent,  inalienable  power  for 
self-defense,  &c.  The  object  of  this  meeting  was  stated  by  J. 
Quinn  Thornton,  Esq.,  who  afterwards,  for  some  time,  resided 
in  Quincy.  The  Rev.  E.  S.  Ely,  one  of  the  professors  of  Marion 
College,  was  on  motion  of  S.  B.  Carnegy,  Esq.,  requested  to 


67 

state  to  the  meeting  his  opinion  of  the  future  course  of  that  insti- 
tution, upon  the  subject  of  Abolition,  and  the  Rev.  Doctor  did 
explain;  he  was  not  an  Abolitionist  of  the  North;  he  owned  one 
slave  and  was  negotiating  for  another.  These  events  and  mat- 
ters show  that  our  neighbors  over  the  river  were  pretty  hot, 
and  so  the  camp-ground  affair  made  a  great  stir,  and  so  Quincy 
became  agitated  also. 

A  notice  appeared  in  the  Illinois  Bounty  Land  Register,  of 
June  10,  1836,  for  a  "county  meeting"  of  all  citizens  of  Adams 
County  friendly  to  peace  and  good  order  and  opposed  to  the  in- 
troduction of  Abolition  Societies,  &c.,  opposed  to  the  discussion 
of  the  subject  in  the  pulpit,  &c.,  opposed  to  placing  negroes  on 
equality  with  the  white  by  marriage,  &c.,  and  opposed  to  giving 
shelter  and  unlawful  protection  to  runaway  slaves  and  negroes 
from  other  States,  &c.,  all  such  were  respectfully  and  earnestly 
desired  to  assemble  in  Quincy  in  the  public  square  on  the  after- 
noon of  Saturday,  the  i8th  day  of  June,  to  express  their  voice 
and  take  such  other  measures  in  this  matter  as  they  might  think 
advisable — signed  "Many  Citizens."  The  appointed  meeting 
was  a  dead  failure.  But  few  people  attended,  and  I  remember 
no  public  action  taken  by  the  movers  of  the  projected  meeting. 
The  views  expressed  in  this  notice  called  forth  an  article  from 
the  pen  of  J.  T.  Holmes,  Esq.,  printed  in  the  Register  June  15, 
and  the  writer,  whilst  declaring  no  connection  with  any 
Abolition  Society,  asserted  the  right  of  discussion.  He  thought 
slavery  incompatible  with  the  fundamental  principles  of  rational 
liberty,  &c. ;  that  it  should  be  abolished  as  soon  as  it  could  be 
done,  consistent  with  the  rights  and  best  interests  of  master  and 
slave  and  the  laws  of  the  several  States,  &c.,  and  this  right  to 
discuss  temperately  and  on  proper  occasions  such  opinions  as 
these  he  declared  was  clearly  guaranteed  by  the  constitution  and 
laws,  &c.  Mr.  Holmes  was  a  strong  man,  and  his  influence  with 
many  of  our  people,  especially  those  from  New  England,  de- 
termined them  to  hold  a  meeting  in  the  old  Congregational 
Church,  afterwards  called  "The  Lord's  Barn,"  and  it  so  hap- 
pened, we  believe,  that  the  men  who  demanded  the  right  of  free 
speech,  as  they  began  to  call  it,  fixed  the  time  for  the  meeting 
on  the  night  of  the  day  for  the  "Many  Citizens  Meeting"  in  the 
public  square,  and  it  was  generally  known  that  the  "Free 
Speech  Meeting,"  called  by  the  other  side  the  "Abolition  Meet- 
ing," would  take  place  that  night.  The  day  meeting  for  the 
square  having  been  a  failure,  some  of  the  few  men  from  the 


68 

country  had  been  persuaded  to  stay  at  night  and  see  what  the 
Abolitionist,  as  they  called  "The  Lord's  Barn"  meeting,  would 
do.  Indeed,  it  was  known  that  the  meeting  in  the  church  would 
be  attacked,  when  it  was  expected  that  there  would  be  some 
tall  running  done.  And  there  was,  but  it  was  done  by  the  other 
fellows.  Our  history  must  call  the  attacking  party  the  mob, 
for  they  had  no  legal  right  to  molest  the  meeting  in  the  church. 
During  the  day  preceding  this  meeting,  after  discussing  the 
probability  of  a  row  with  Mr.  O.  H.  Browning,  he  said  to  me: 
"I  will  see  the  one  man,  (naming  him)  and  the  only  man  who  can 
lead  that  crpwd  to  make  an  attack.  I  don't  believe  he  is  in 
favor  of  it,  but  if  I  can  persuade  him  to  go  out  of  town  before 
night  and  stay  away  till  to-morrow,  there  will  be  no  fight." 
The  man  in  question  went  to  the  country,  and  for  the  want  of  a 
plucky  leader  the  attack  made  on  the  church  at  night  was  of 
short  duration,  for  the  mob  ignominiously  ran  away  at  the  first 
show  of  resistance.  They  delivered  one  broadside  of  brickbats 
and  stones  against  the  sides  of  the  church,  when  ten  or  twenty 
stout  men  ran  out  of  the  church,  armed  with  hickory  clubs,  and 
then  the  mob  ran  for  their  lives.  We  may  say  that,  in  the 
main,  from  that  day  to  this  we  have  had  substantial  free  speech 
in  Quincy. 

This  year  the  county  sold  the  lots  owned  by  it  on  the  east  side 
of  Fifth  street,  as  we  have  mentioned,  with  one  or  two  others, 
lor  the  aggregate  sum  of  $22,000.  One  lot  sold  for  seventy-eight 
dollars  per  front  foot.  In  the  spring  of  1836,  a  small  lot  next  and 
west  of  the  present  location  of  Joseph,  Nelke  &  Co.'s  store,  was 
purchased  by  Henry  T.  Blow,  of  St.  Louis,  at  $100  per  front 
foot.  Thus  it  appeared  that  real  estate  here  began  to  advance 
in  price. 

I  have  stated  in  my  introductory  chapter  that  Quincy  was  for 
many  years,  and  still  remains  substantially,  in  a  business  and  his- 
torical point,  the  largest  and  most  important  town  in  the  old 
Military  Bounty  Land  Tract.  It  was  the  point  where  the 
United  States  land  office  was  placed,  and  here  nearly  all  the 
Congress  land  in  the  district  was  entered.  As  early  as  1834,  or 
perhaps  earlier,  an  Illinois  Land  Agency  was  opened  here 
under  the  firm  name  of  Tillson,  Moore  &  Co.,  composed  of 
John  Tillson,  Jr.,  Francis  C.  Moore  and  Lloyd  Morton.  The 
leading  member  of  this  firm  was  John  Tillson,  Jr.,  Esq.,  who 
was,  in  the  early  times  of  our  State,  perhaps  the  most  popular 
man  in  it,  and  one  who  has  exercised  a  very  large  influence,  and 


69 

always  in  an  unselfish  direction.  Mr.  Tillson  was  a  large  and 
very  handsome  man,  and  possessed  and  wielded  great  influence 
with  the  owers  of  patent  lands  residing  in  the  East.  In  March, 
1836,  he  retired  from  the  firm  of  Tillson,  Moore  &  Co.,  and  a 
new  firm  was  established,  with  Seth  C.  Sherman  in  place  of  Mr. 
Tillson.  The  new  firm  took  the  name  of  Moore,  Morton  &  Co., 
which  was  recommended  by  Mr.  Tillson,  and  with  the  strongest 
list  of  references  possible.  These  agencies,  of  which  there 
were  several,  from  first  to  last,  in  the  payment  of  taxes  and  in 
the  sale  of  patent  lands,  have,  as  I  might  say,  handled  more  than 
one-half  of  all  the  lands  in  the  Military  Tract  patented  to  the 
soldiers  of  the  war  of  1812.  This  agency  here,  with  the  United 
States  land  office,  from  time  to  time,  and  for  many  years,  brought 
nearly  all  the  land  buyers  to  Quincy.  Thus  the  importance  of 
the  town  and  its  consequent  numerous  visitors,  made  it,  as  it 
were,  the  center  of  Western  Illinois. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


BRIEF  NOTES  AND  SKETCHES  COVERING  THE  TIME  FROM  1837 
TO  1840 — THE  DR.  EELLS  CASE — THE  ALANSON  WORK 
CASE — THE  BURNING  OF  THE  INSTITUTE — THE 
QUINCY    "WHIG" — EARLY    TAXES    AND 
PRESENT  RISE  IN  PRICES,  &c. — MIS- 
CELLANEOUS   ITEMS — THE 
QUINCY  LIBRARY. 


|jUR  Town  of  Quincy  has  been  the  theater  of  many  events, 
not  all  of  the  most  pleasing  character.  A  true  picture  large 
enough  to  cover  the  whole  canvas  must  present  some  matters 
which  it  might  be  well  to  leave  out,  if  I  could  truthfully  and 
candidly  do  so.  But  both  black  and  white  must  appear.  Galileo 
said  the  world  moves,  and  so  it  does.  Here  is  a  suggestive 
streak  of  the  black,  legally  painted.  Our  State  had  gratuitously 
enacted  a  set  of  laws,  which  made  the  following  notice  from  the 
Argus,  possible  as  of  its  date: 

NOTICE. 

A  mulatto  man,  who  calls  himself  Rodam  High  Warden,  on  the  24th  of 
April,  A.  D.  1837,  was  committed  to  the  jail  of  Adams  County,  Illinois,  as  a 
runaway  slave,  according  to  the  law  of  the  State  aforesaid.  Said  Rodam 
High  Warden  is  about  fiw  feet  high,  about  46  years  old,  forefinger  off  the 
right  hand,  a  scar  on  the  right  side  of  his  forehead,  extending  into  the 
hair,  and  one  on  the  left  side  of  his  neck.  The  owner  of  the  aforesaid 
mulatto  man  is  hereby  required  to  come,  prove  property,  pay  charges,  and 
take  the  said  mulatto  away  in  accordance  with  the  laws  of  the  State  of 
Illinois.  EARL  PIERCE,  Sheriff  Adams  County,  Illinois. 

July  25, 1837. 

In  those  days  notices  like  these  frequently  appeared  in  papers 
published  in  this  State,  and  whilst  they  created  but  little  or  no 


71 

shock  to  men  like  the  writer — from  the  South — they  had  a  very 
different  effect  upon  the  men  of  other  sections  of  the  country  and 
from  Europe. 

One  evening  in  late  summer  or  early  fall — exact  date  not  now 
remembered — a  tall  and  rather  lean  black  man  arrived  in  Quincy 
from  Missouri ;  he  swam  the  Mississippi  River  and  was  of  course 
as  wet  as  a  drowned  rat.  The  sequel  showed  that  there  were 
here  some  agents  of  the  Underground  Railroad  Line;  one  of 
them,  we  believe,  Berryman  Barnet,  colored,  communicated  this 
arrival  to  Dr.  Richard  Eells,  and  he  at  once  took  steps  to  help 
the  fugitive  on  his  way  to  Canada.  The  Doctor  had  a  good 
buggy  and  a  fast  horse,  and  after  giving  the  black  man  a  dry 
shirt  and  a  pair  of  pantaloons,  started  north,  no  doubt  expecting 
to  reach  the  next  station,  where  other  friendly  parties  would  take 
up  the  escaping  slave  and  in  like  manner  send  him  forward. 
The  master  had  in  pursuit  arrived  in  Quincy  by  the  time  the 
Doctor  had  taken  possession  of  the  fugitive  and  had  given  him 
dry  clothing.  A  party  was  soon  started  in  aid  oi  the  master  to 
recapture  the  slave.  Members  of  the  pursuing  party  were  sent 
out  of  town  in  every  direction,  and  soon  some  of  them  met  with 
the  Doctor,  hailed  him  and  ordered  him  to  halt,  but  he  did  not 
halt,  and  having  the  fastest  horse  he  soon  drew  away  from  this 
party  of  the  pursuers,  but  quickly  it  was  found  that  another 
squad  of  pursuers  was  about  to  meet  or  overtake  him,  when 
he  ran  his  buggy  close  to  the  fence  of  a  corn-field  and  told  the 
black  man  to  jump  over  into  the  field  and  keep  hidden  as  long 
as  he  could.  The  negro  man  thus  escaped  for  the  time,  but  be- 
fore morning  he  was  captured  by  Sam  Pearson  and  brought  in 
and  lodged  in  jail.  The  Doctor,  immediately  after  discharging 
his  freight  in  this  abandoned  manner,  rushed  through  and  passed 
his  pursuers  and  returned  to  his  home,  where  he  was  soon  after- 
wards pursued  and  where  the  buggy  was  found,  and  in  it  the 
wet  tow  linen  shirt  and  breeches  which  had  been  worn  by  the 
poor  negro.  The  next  day  a  warrant  was  sworn  out  by  the 
master  and  before  the  writer,  then  a  Justice  of  the  Peace. 
Dr.  Eells  had  a  preliminary  trial  to  determine  whether  he  should 
be  held  to  bail  to  answer  the  charge  of  harboring  and  aiding 
the  fugitive  to  escape  from  the  service  of  his  master.  The  ex- 
amination took  place  in  the  Court  House  and  was  largely 
attended,  with  able  lawyers  upon  each  side.  The  Doctor  was 
held  to  bail.  The  case  was  afterwards  tried  in  the  Circuit 
Court,  I  believe  before  Judge  Douglas,  and  Eells  was  convicted 


72 

and  fined.  The  case  thence  went  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
State,  and  finally  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States. 
Both  decisions  may  be  found  both  in  our  own  reports  and  in 
those  of  the  United  States.  The  Justice  of  the  Peace  delivered 
a  written  opinion,  and  he  is  now  almost  sorry  to  say  all  the 
Courts  above  him  took  substantially  the  same  views  of  the  case 
that  he  had  taken.  The  affair  cost  Dr.  Eells  many  thousands  of 
dollars,  and  almost  broke  him  up,  but  the  great  notoriety  of  the 
Eells  case,  and  especially  when  it  reached  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  United  States,  no  doubt  brought  some  of  the  anti-slavery 
people  of  New  England  forward  with  money  to  assist  in  the 
defense. 

What  we  may  now  call  the  Alanson  Work,  James  E.  Burr 
and  George  Thompson  case  may  be  briefly  stated  substantially 
as  follows:  About  July,  1841,  three  of  our  neighbors  from  the 
Institute — Burr,  Work  and  Thompson — got  into  trouble  by 
operating  the  Underground  Railroad,  as  it  was  called.  After 
Dr.  David  Nelson  had  left  Missouri,  he  settled  with  his  family 
within  a  few  miles  of  Quincy.  The  Doctor  was  a  man  of  talent 
and  always  restless  in  his  efforts  to  promote  the  cause  of  Chris- 
tianity as  he  understood  it,  and  also  the  cause  of  Christian  edu- 
cation. He  had  gone  to  the  East,  and  we  believe,  especially  to 
Boston,  seeking  aid  in  his  educational  projects.  With  Dr.  Nel- 
son's great  ability  and  energy,  both  as  a  speaker  and  conversa- 
tionalist, he  soon  interested  a  number  of  people  in  the  East,  and 
raised  some  money,  though  not  a  large  amount,  with  which  to 
commence  and  carry  on  his  educational  plans.  The  main  idea 
was  to  educate  young  men  for  missionaries.  Several  branches 
of  the  main  school,  called  "Institutes,"  were  established  in  the 
county,  but  the  main  or  central  school,  or  institute,  was  estab- 
lished just  outside  of  the  then  limits  of  Quincy,  but  east  of  and 
near  the  present  Twenty-fourth  street,  now  within  the  city. 
The  main  building  was  a  plain  brick,  of  not  large  dimensions, 
but  it  was  surrounded  by  a  number  of  small  one-story  structures 
called  student's  lodges.  For  a  time  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Hunter — the  Rev.  Moses  Hunter — presided  over  this  institute. 
He  appeared  an  old  man  when  he  first  came  here;  but  it  was 
said  he  was  possessed  of  great  knowledge  and  education,  a 
good  Greek  and  Hebrew  scholar,  and  with  all  quite  a  superior 
man,  and  dressed  himself  in  a  sort  of  seamless  robe,  in  imitation 
of  the  robe  of  Christ.  Mr.  Hunter  finally  died  at  Chicago  on 
his  was  East  in  1843.  It  soon  became  the  understanding  that 


73 

nearly  all  connected  with  the  Institute  were  intense  Abolitionists. 
This,  from  subsequent  observation,  I  now  believe  was  literally 
true.  It  will  be  remembered  that  a  man  named  Williams  was 
mentioned  in  these  pages  as  having  been  ordered  out  of  Mis- 
souri by  the  people  there  as  a  dangerous  Abolitionist,  &c.  I 
believe  this  same  Williams  came  here  to  Quincy,  after  leaving 
Missouri,  and  was  well  acquainted  with  and  in  full  sympathy  with 
the  Institute  people,  under  Hunter.  Alanson  Work  and  two 
others — young  men  from  the  Institute,  whose  names  I  have 
mentioned — upon  a  certain  day,  it  appears,  crossed  the  Missis- 
sippi River  from  this  side  to  the  Missouri  shore,  near  or  not 
far  below  the  mouth  of  the  Fabius  River.  They  crossed  in  a 
skiff,  and  soon  after  were  suddenly  surrounded  and  captured  by 
a  large  party  of  Missourians,  and  were  almost  immediately 
committed  to  jail  in  Palmyra.  Their  accusation  written  over 
against  them  was  "Nigger  Thieves."  They  were  accused  of 
coming  over  to  carry  off  some  slaves,  who  were  by  previous 
arrangement  to  have  met  Work  and  his  companions.  The 
prisoners  were  confronted  with  a  negro  who  said  he  had  been 
persuaded  by  some  white  men  from  over  the  river  to  bring 
some  slaves  to  the  point  of  landing  to  be  carried  away,  and  had 
agreed  to  do  it,  but  instead  had  revealed  the  project  to  his 
master.  Work  and  his  companions  were  indicted,  tried,  con- 
victed and  sentenced  to  the  penitentiary  at  Jefferson  City,  Mis- 
souri, for  a  term  of  twelve  years.  It  always  was,  however,  a 
curious  fact  that  though  there  seemed  no  legal  evidence  against 
Work  and  his  compainions — the  testimony  of  the  negro  not  be- 
ing legal  evidence — the  jury  seemed,  however,  to  have  no 
trouble  in  finding  a  verdict  of  guilty  for  stealing  or  rather  at- 
tempting to  steal  the  slaves.  They  were  on  the  i2th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1841,  sentenced  to  serve  twelve  years  in  the  Missouri 
penitentiary.  At  the  time  of  their  conviction,  in  addition  to 
there  being  no  law  to  punish  an  attempt  to  entice  slaves  to  run 
away  from  the  service  of  their  masters,  there  was  no  legal  evi- 
dence against  them  of  any  sort.  The  legislature  of  Missouri 
long  afterwards  passed  a  law  to  punish  attempts  to  entice  slaves 
to  run  away,  &c.  These  men  were  all,  however,  pardoned  by 
the  Governors  of  Missouri  before  their  final  sentence  of  twelve 
years  had  expired.  Work  was  released  at  the  end  of  three 
years,  six  months  and  seven  days;  Burr  at  the  end  of  four  years, 
six  months  and  seventeen  days;  and  Thompson  at  the  end  of 
four  years,  eleven  months  and  twelve  days.  I  joined  with  others 


74 

in  a  petition  for  Work's  pardon,  and  after  his  release  he  came 
to  see  me.  I  do  not  know  if  he  is  living  at  this  date. 
With  Dr.  Eells,  Work,  and  others  of  our  Institute  people,  it 
seemed  really  easier  to  be  martyrs  than  to  keep  away  from 
helping  the  slave  to  escape  from  his  master.  By  this  time  the 
people  of  Marion  County  had  become  well  acquainted  with  the 
location  and  anti-slavtry  character  of  the  Institute,  and  one 
night  in  the  winter — exact  date  not  remembered — a  gang  of 
fellows  from  Marion  County — the  Mississippi  River  being  frozen 
over — silently  marched  across  and  out  Broadway  to  the  location 
of  the  building  and  burned  the  Institute  to  the  ground. 

The  amount  of  town  taxes  of  1836-7  may  be  understood  from 
the  fact  that  the  highest  city  tax  upon  a  single  lot,  as  appears  by 
the  notice  for  the  sale,  dated  November  u,  1837 — that  lot  being 
lot  3,  block  n,  in  the  original  Town  of  Quincy — was  twenty- 
five  dollars.  The  tax  upon  many  lots  ran  down  as  low  as 
twenty-five  cents.  I  believe  no  other  single  lot  in  the  town  for 
that  year  was  taxed  for  more  than  twenty-five  dollars  for  city 
or  town  purposes.  This  lot  has  since  been  sold  by  sub-divisions 
and  is  now  worth  not  less  than  $50,000,  the  present  annual 
taxes  not  less  than  $2,000.  I  use  this  lot  as  an  illustration  of 
the  rise  in  prices  and  taxation,  because  I  am  most  familiar  with 
the  history  of  the  premises.  It  is  the  lot  on  the  corner  of  Fifth 
and  Hampshire  streets,  south  side  of  Hampshire,  and  is  99  by 
198  feet. 

The  second  newspaper  established  here — the  Quincy  Whig 
— put  forth  its  first  number  on  the  5th  day  of  May,  1838.  The 
first  paper,  the  Illinois  Bounty  Land  Register •,  the  first  number 
of  which  was  issued  April  17,  1835,  as  we  have  mentioned. 
This  paper,  having  passed  through  several  changes  of  name, 
has  arrived  at  its  present  name  of  the  Quincy  Herald.  The 
Whig  still  retains  its  old  name,  Quincy  Whig;  but,  like  the 
Herald,vc\  its  journey  since  Saturday,  May  5th,  1838,  has  passed 
through  several  names,  as  Republican,  Whig  and  Republican, 
and  back  again  to  simple  Whig.  The  Herald,  starting  under 
the  name  of  the  Illinois  Bounty  Land  Register,  is  now  over  46 
years  old,  whilst  the  Whig  is  now  over  43  years  old.  Both 
these  papers  have  always  been  substantially  representative  of 
two  great  parties,  which  have  confronted  each  other  since  1828 
and  1832.  Though  party  issues  have  somewhat  changed,  still 
the  germs  of  two  great  antagonistic  parties  in  our  country  have 
been  kept  alive.  The  Democrat  was  antagonistic  to  the  Whig, 


75 

The  Whig  gravitated  towards  the  Republican.  The  Republi- 
can absorbed  the  Whig.  The  Democrat  still  holds  his  name, 
or  the  name  his  party  took  before  the  name  Whig  was  applied  to 
its  opponents.  The  Quincy  Whig  was  at  first  edited  by  N.  Bush- 
nell  and  Andrew  Johnston,  and  published  weekly  by  H.  V. 
Sullivan.  Mr.  Sullivan  had  been  for  a  time  a  partner  in  the 
publication  of  the  first  paper  published  here,  which  had  assumed 
the  name  of  the  Quincy  Argus.  Not  long  after  the  establish- 
ment of  the  Whig,  its  temporary  editors,  N.  Bushnell  and  An- 
drew Johnston,  retired,  and  Sylvester  M.  Bartlett,  late  of  Galena, 
became  its  editor.  Mr.  Bartlett  was  a  practical  printer,  and  as 
an  editor  soon  attained  the  highest  rank,  both  for  courage  and 
talent.  He  is  remembered  by  the  old  Whigs  of  the  county  with 
undying  affection. 

The  importance  of  Quincy  as  a  land  center,  bringing  many 
visitors  here  upon  land  business,  made  it  necessary  that  we 
should  have  here  at  least  one  good  and  large  hotel.  It  was  to 
John  Tillson,  Jr.,  that  we  became  as  a  town  indebted  for  the 
Quincy  House — commenced  in  1836  and  finished  and  occupied 
in  1838.  Its  first  landlord  was  Mr.  William  Munroe,  late  of 
Boston.  He  was  with  his  good  wife  and  several  daughters  soon 
found  to  be  the  right  people  in  the  right  place.  Both  in  the 
line  of  their  business  and  socially,  and  wherever  they  have  been, 
this  family,  from  its  head  down,  have  been  honored,  respected 
and  loved.  The  Quincy  House  under  its  first  management  was 
certainly  equal,  if  not  superior,  to  any  other  hotel  then  in  exist- 
ence in  Illinois.  Mr.  Munroe  went  from  Quincy  to  St.  Louis, 
where  for  a  time  he  kept  the  Munroe  House  there.  All  of  this 
estimable  family  except  one  member,  I  believe,  are  now  dead. 

Prior  to  the  grading  of  Hampshire  street  from  the  public  square 
to  the  river,  we  had  no  direct  roadway  to  the  river,  the  usually 
traveled  route  from  the  top  of  the  hill  down  to  the  river  passed 
diagonally  from  a  point  near  the  corner  of  Third  and  Hampshire 
streets  to  the  foot  of  Vermont  street.  In  1838  and  1839,  we  be- 
lieve  Hampshire  street  was  opened  through  the  rocky  bluffs 
down  to  Front  street.  Thus  Hampshire  was  the  first  one  of  the 
streets  in  the  original  town  plat  opened,  and  though  its  grade 
was  too  steep,  it  has  yet  been  one  of  the  most  traveled  streets  in 
the  city.  In  a  business  point,  the  opening  of  the  west  end  of 
Hampshire  street  secured  to  that  street  quite  an  advantage. 

During  the  winter  of  1838-9,  the  Mormons,  in  the  midst  of 
cold  weather,  in  a  suffering  condition,  in  great  numbers,  being 


76 

driven  from  Missouri,  took  shelter  here.  They  were  kindly 
treated  by  our  citizens,  many  of  the  men  finding  temporary  em- 
ployment in  the  town. 

Our  first  fire  department  was  organized.  Our  first  fire  engine, 
old  No.  i,  was  purchased  for  $1,124.38.  Our  population  in 
1839  was  aDOut  JjSso.  Of  this  old  No.  i  hand-engine  we  have 
the  liveliest  recollection.  It  was  its  good  fortune  to  have  per- 
formed several  distinguished  feats,  one  on  Hampshire  street  and 
one  under  the  hill,  in  staying  the  progress  of  fires  already  in  full 
blast. 

The  hard  cider  and  coon  skin  political  campaign  occurred  in 
1840.     Since  this  memorable  year  there  have  been  many  exciting 
political  gatherings  in  Quincy.      Theretofore  our   campaigns, 
especially  as  conducted  by  the  old  Whig  and  Democratic  masses, 
had  been  quite  tame  and  subdued,  in  comparison  with  the  spon- 
taneous outburst  for  "Tippecanoe  and  Tyler,  too."     To  give  an 
idea  of  how  the  campaign  of  1840  was  conducted,  we  sketch 
mainly  from  memory.     On  the   morning   of  May  9,  1840,   a 
national  salute  was  fired  from  the  bluff  south  of  Maine  street, 
and  this  was  the  signal  for  the  gathering  of  the  one  hundred  and 
forty-one  delegates  which  had  previously  been  appointed  from 
this   place    to    attend   the   county    convention  to    be    held  at 
Columbus.      These  delegates,  or  such  of  them   as  could  at- 
tend the  meeting  at  Columbus,  were   formed   into  procession 
around  the  public  square  by  the  marshals,  Levi  B.  Allen,  Jacob 
Gruell  and  Harrison  Dills.     First  there  came  a  troop  of  horse 
two  abreast.     Then  came  a  large  yellow  wagon  drawn  by  four 
horses,  in  which  was  the  band  of  the  Quincy  Grays  in  full  blast, 
the  carriage   being  surmounted  by  the   flag  of  Harrison  and 
Tyler.     Next  came  the  cannon  with  the  United  States  flag, 
drawn  by  two  horses,  upon  a  gun  carriage.     One  flag  had  upon 
it  a  representation  of  a  log  cabin  with  a  coon  skin  nailed  up  on 
the  side.     But  the  chief  attraction  and  cynosure  of  all  eyes  was 
the  canoe  on  wheels.     This  was  a  long  one,  resting  upon  four 
wheels  and  drawn  by  four  horses.     In  the  canoe — which  I  sup- 
pose was  intended  in  some  way  to  refer  to  old  "Tippecanoe," 
that  is,  General  Harrison — about  midship  was  a  full  barrel  of 
hard  cider — very   hard — and   hanging  upon  the  barrel  was  a 
large  gourd.     In  the  hind  end  of  the  canoe  sat  our  old  friend, 
George  Chapman,  the  cooper,  with  a  paddle  in  his  hands,  going 
through  the  motions  of  "paddling  his  own  canoe."     After  the 
canoe  came  a  long  train  of  wagons  and  carriages  carrying  flags, 


77 

and  bringing  up  the  rear  was  two  mail  coach  stages.  Of  the 
one  hundred  and  forty-one  delegates  appointed  to  this  Columbus 
convention,  most  of  them  are  dead.  The  following  are  living: 
John  Field,  Charles  Maertz,  L.  Bull,  Jr.,  W.  H.  Gage,  T. 
Brougham,  A.  C.  Root,  L.  Kingman,  S.  P.  Church,  Wm.  Dick- 
hut,  H.  H.  Hoffman,  H.  S.  Kemp,  H.  V.  Sullivan,  H.  Dills, 
J.  V.  W.  Dutcher,  A.  Johnston,  H.  Asbury,  Adam  Schmitt,  Ed- 
ward Wells,  John  Wheeler,  N.  Pinkham,  James  T.  Baker,  and 
Dr.  Doway.  The  meeting  collectively  which  appointed  these 
delegates  called  itself  Democratic-Whig.  The  survivors  as 
above  are  now  all  but  two,  we  believe,  called  Republicans. 
Brooks,  of  the  Argus,  had  a  very  funny  article  in  that  paper 
describing  the  procession  as  it  marched  out  of  town.  He  had  a 
hit  at  nearly  every  one,  but  his  description  of  one  lawyer,  whom 
he  called  the  "great  pantomime  orator,"  made  everybody  laugh 
at  the  hit.  The  gentleman  referred  to,  Charles  Gilman,  Esq. 
though  a  most  excellent  lawyer,  now  dead,  was  noted  for  his 
quiet  and  mild  manner  of  gesticulation  in  speaking.  The  Whig 
raccoon  and  hard  cider  campaign  of  1840  has  had  its  counter- 
part ever  since  in  that  enlightened  and  patriotic  sentiment  of  the 
Democracy  represented  by  the  tin  chicken  cock  away  up  on  the 
hickory  pole — the  higher  the  better. 

Having  arrived  somewhat  with  the  current  of  events  to  this 
year,  A.  D.  1840,  I  must  take  up  as  best  I  can  matters  of  sup- 
posed interest  in  a  short,  retrospective  way,  without  strict  re- 
gard to  succeeding  events  or  exact  dates,  treating  less  of  indi- 
viduals and  more  of  general  results  and  matters. 

As  stated,  from  the  laying  off  of  Quincy  in  1825  to  the  early 
part  of  1834  we  had  no  l°cal  laws.  From  1834  to  tne  date  °f 
our  first  charter,  adopted  by  a  vote  of  the  people  in  1840,  we 
were  under  the  general  laws  of  the  State.  The  vote  for  the 
charter  was  228;  against  it,  12;  population,  2,319. 

The  Quincy  Library,  the  only  public  library  legally  estab- 
lished here  under  the  laws  of  the  State,  was  organized  in  the 
year  1837.  There  were  one  or  more  attempts  at  establishing  a 
library  here  prior  to  1837,  but  there  now  remains  no  trace  of 
them.  The  Quincy  Library,  now  over  forty-four  years  old,  it 
is  hoped  has  already  laid  a  foundation  for  a  popular  and  valuable 
institution  yet  to  grow  up  among  us.  Seeing  the  short-lived 
nature  of  most  voluntary  societies  which  have  sprung  up  here, 
and  after  a  brief  period  have  died  in  their  infancy,  never  passing 
their  period  of  "dentation,"  we  may  reasonably  hope  that  the 


78 

Quincy  Library,  now  forty-four  years  of  age,  may  meet  with 
many  friendly  hands  to  help  prolong  its  life  and  with  enlarged 
usefulness.  Among  the  early  friends  of  the  Quincy  Library 
I  must  mention  Samuel  Jonas,  who  was  its  President  for  many 
years,  and  even  in  his  last  will  and  testament  did  not  forget  it. 
Since  the  writer  has  resided  in  Quincy,  now  over  forty-eight 
years,  we  have  had  all  manner  of  organizations,  charitable  and 
otherwise,  such  as  Lyceums,  Debating  Societies,  Washing- 
tonians,  Teetotallers,  Temperance  Societies,  Red  Men's  Socie- 
ties, and  many  others.  In  this  history  we  shall  not  be  able  to 
find  large  room  for  any  of  these  organizations,  however  merito- 
rious. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


THE  CITY  CHARTER  OF  1840  AND  SUBSEQUENT  AMENDMENTS 
AND  ADDITIONS — THE   ORIGINAL   BOUNDARY  OF  THE 
TOWN  OF  QUINCY  AND  THE  PRESENT  BOUNDA- 
RIES AND  AREAS — SOME  SHORT  NOTES 
OF  EVENTS  UP  TO  1850. 


the  year  1841  our  population  had  increased  to  2,686,  and 
for  the  first  time  the  public  square,  now  Washington  Park, 
was  enclosed.  Prior  to  this  time  it  had  remained  an  open  and 
neglected  spot.  Its  enclosure  created  some  comment  and  com- 
plaint among  the  people  of  the  county  outside  of  the  city.  The 
farmers  had  up  to  this  time  considered  the  square,  as  it  was 
called,  a  good  place  upon  which  to  feed  their  teams,  show  stud 
horses,  and  as  a  sort  of  free  exchange.  The  land  upon  which 
the  original  Town  of  Quincy  was  laid  out  had  been  entered  by 
Adams  County  for  a  county  seat,  under  an  act  of  Congress. 
The  county  being  the  original  owner,  and  having  laid  out  the 
town  with  its  streets,  public  landing  and  two  squares — one  of 
which  was  for  a  cemetery — our  country  friends  could  not  see 
that  the  streets  and  squares,  after  the  sale  of  the  town  lots  front- 
ing upon  those  streets  and  squares,  should  not  still  belong  to 
Adams  County.  Neither  could  some  of  them  see,  though  the 
county  had  entered  the  land  for  a  county  seat,  why,  by  a  vote 
of  the  people,  as  they  phrased  it,  the  county  seat  could  not  be 
removed.  The  fact  is  that  Mr.  Willard  Keyes  was  the  first 
settler  upon  the  quarter  section  upon  which  the  original  town  of 
Quincy  was  laid  out,  and  but  for  the  act  of  Congress  in  favor  of 
county  seats,  and  also  for  Mr.  Keyes'  consent  that  the  county 
should  have  the  land  for  the  county  seat,  the  County  of  Adams 
never  would  have  owned  the  tract.  Judge  Snow,  .who  made  the 


80 

original  plat,  more  than  once  informed  the  writer  and  others 
that  the  tier  of  lots  on  the  east  side  of  the  square  were  originally 
designed  for  the  public  buildings,  and  it  never  was  intended  that 
the  public  buildings  of  the  county  should  be  erected  upon  the 
square.  It  was  designed  for  its  present  use — a  public  park. 

In  the  year  1842  Maine  street  was  opened  through  from 
Third  street  to  the  river.  In  opening  this  street  a  large  portion 
of  the  high  mound  in  its  track,  before  that  time  called  "Mount 
Pisgah,"  was  removed,  and  in  it  were  found  many  human 
skeletons— these  bones,  like  others  found  in  our  mounds,  seemed 
to  lie  upon  or  to  be  mixed  with  charcoal — probably  giving  a 
hint  of  cremation. 

In  the  month  of  June,  1844,  we  had  the  great  flood  in  the 
upper  Mississippi  River.  The  water  rose  to  a  greater  height 
than  it  had  risen  at  any  time  during  the  twenty  preceding  years. 
The  upper  Mississippi,  the  Missouri  and  the  Illinois  Rivers  all 
rose  to  great  height  at  the  same  time,  and  thus  at  St.  Louis  the 
flood  of  1844, 1  believe,  exceeded  any  preceding  or  subsequent 
event  of  the  kind — unless  last  year's  flood  exceeded  it — though 
the  upper  Mississippi  has  more  than  once  since  been  higher 
than  it  was  in  1844.  This  year  was  the  time  of  the  great  race 
for  the  presidency  between  Clay  and  Polk.  The  old  hard  cider 
and  coon  skin  element,  which  had  its  origin  in  the  political  cam- 
paign of  1840,  still  lingered  among  us.  I  saw  a  stout  young 
"Whig  at  the  Peona  convention,  in  June,  1844,  equipped  for 
business — dressed  entirely  in  coon-skin  clothing,  coon-skin  cap 
with  the  tail  hanging  down  his  back,  and  a  live  coon  on  each 
shoulder.  Though  it  was  hot  weather  the  young  man  did  not 
seem  to  care,  and  his  appearance  excited  great  fun  and  enthusi- 
asm. I  can  see  him  now  as  his  stalwart  form  seemed  to  chal- 
lenge the  world.  But  it  all  did  no  good,  the  great  Harry  of 
the  West  was  beaten.  Polk,  Dallas  and  Texas  was  too  much 
for  him. 

The  steamboat  Potosi  exploded  at  the  wharf,  killing  two  and 
scalding  several  persons. 

Our  people  were  greatly  excited  by  hearing,  on  the  27th  of 
July,  1844,  that  the  so-called  prophet  Joseph  Smith  had  been 
murdered  in  the  jail  at  Carthage.  Quincy  had  extended  to  the 
Mormon  people,  when  driven  out  of  Missouri,  as  I  have  stated, 
very  especial  kindness  and  assistance.  They  came  here  in  win- 
ter and  were  suffering;  we  had  heard  much  pro  and  con  about 
the  Mormons,  but  suffering  women  and  children  were  among 


81 

them,  and  we  did  for  their  necessities  all  we  could  do.  Ever 
since  their  arrival,  and  especially  since  their  settlement  at 
Nauvoo,  until  their  removal  thence,  our  people  had  been  kept 
in  excitement  about  these  Mormons.  At  the  time  of  Smith's 
death  there  were  very  few  of  our  community,  who  felt  much 
sympathy  for  this  strange  people,  but  the  news  of  his  death 
in  jail  created  deep  feeling  here.  No  one  could  justify  the  act  of 
his  murder  in  prison.  Perhaps  there  is  no  city  in  the  Union 
which  has  been  so  often  the  victim  -of  adverse  outside  disturb- 
ances as  Quincy.  For  a  long  time  we  had  upon  us,  by  reason 
of  our  border  location,  the  slavery  question,  then  the  Mormon 
question,  and  then  the  war  of  the  rebellion  question.  We  may 
truly  say,  that  left  alone,  or  left  to  deal  with  all  social  questions 
and  problems  among  ourselves,  like  those  communities  in  the 
interior,  or  those  beyond  such  surroundings  as  those  of  Quincy, 
we  should  have  had  more  peace  and  quietness  at  least.  Now  it 
is  all  over ;  a  retrospect  of  our  history  shows  that  we  have  been 
a  forbearing,  generous  and  loving  people,  giving  shelter  to  all 
who  ran  to  us  in  time  of  trouble.  We  are  all  now  glad  that  it 
has  been  so. 

In  1845,  on  the  yth  of  April,  the  city  for  the  first  time  voted 
for  additional  taxes  for  school  purposes.  Of  our  public  schools 
we  are  proud;  they  are  the  best  public  institution  among  us. 
One  feature  in  their  management  is  worthy  of  note,  namely: 
we  are  not  very  particular  where  a  poor  boy  or  girl  comes  from 
to  entitle  him  or  her  to  come  in  and  learn.  Perhaps  the  time 
may  come  when  we  will  be  compelled  to  be  more  strict  con- 
cerning the  admission  of  children  to  our  common  schools  by 
enforcing  the  laws  of  locality. 

By  the  May  census  of  1848,  our  population  was  5,865.  This 
year,  June  21,  we  were  visited  by  a  tornado  which  destroyed 
several  buildings.  The  first  steamboat  built  here  was  launched 
March  18.  The  telegraph,  via  Springfield  from  St.  Louis,  was 
finished  October  20. 

On  the  i  yth  of  March,  1849,  Asiatic  cholera  broke  out  here. 
Among  other  deaths  was  that  of  Enoch  Conyers,  mayor  of  the 
city.  Estimated  number  of  deaths,  400.  As  late  as  1851  a 
number  of  deaths  occurred  here  from  cholera;  it  was  stated  as 
many  as  200,  but  I  think  this  number  too  large.  Thus  the  dis- 
ease lingered  among  us  from  1849  to  1851.  Our  first  railroad 
meeting  was  held  at  the  Court  House,  January  2,  1849.  Some 
very  eloquent  speeches  were  made,  going  to  show  that  the  city, 

3 


82 

if  she  would  subscribe  for  stock,  would  be  very  sure  to  reap 
large  and  permanent  dividends.  The  city  did  subscribe,  but,  as 
the  boys  say,  her  dividend  were  "in  a  horn,"  Work  was  com- 
menced on  the  C.,  B.  &  Q.  railroad  in  1851. 

In  1850,  C.  M.  Woods  started  here  our  first  daily  newspaper, 
called  the  Daily  Journal.  The  paper  did  not  long  survive,  but 
it  laid  the  foundation  for  the  other  papers  to  build  upon.  Mr. 
Woods  started  the  first  weekly  paper,  as  also  the  first  daily. 
He  is  now  in  California,  and  he  took  with  him  when  he  left  us 
the  good  wishes  ot  all  who  knew  him.  He  published  ior  a  time 
the  Quincy  Tribune,  a  campaign  paper  in  the  interest  of  Mr.  Van 
Buren.  Its  No.  i,  Vol.  i,  I  have  before  me  as  I  write.  It  was 
edited  by  an  association  of  gentlemen:  Charles  B.  Lawrence, 
Sam  Willard,  Thomas  Pope,  Timothy  Rogers,  Allen  Comstock 
and  Lucius  Kingman.  The  first  number  is  dated  September 
13,  1848.  It  went  for  free  soil,  free  speech,  free  labor  for  free 
men.  Its  principles  were  declared  not  sectional — no  more  slave 
territories,  and  no  more  slave  States — yet  no  interference  bj* 
Congress  with  slavery  within  the  limits  of  any  State.  Uncon- 
nected with  all  former  parties,  they  were  for  humanity,  for  free- 
dom, and  for  true  democracy.  As  showing  the  invincible 
progress  of  ideas,  I  feel  justified  in  saying  that  Jeff  Davis,  Bob 
Toombs  &  Co.  did  not  like  this  platform,  and  that  every  one  of 
these  gentlemen  editors  and  publishers  of  the  Tribune  in  1848, 
and  all  of  them  are  still  living,  are  now  republicans.  They  said 
that  the  Baltimore  convention  had  rejected  the  Wilmot  proviso 
forbidding  slavery  in  territories  and  had  nominated  Cass,  and  that 
the  Philadelphia  convention  had  rejected  the  proviso  and  nom- 
inated Taylor  and  they  could  therefore  support  neither.  Mr. 
Van  Buren  had  revenge  in  the  election  of  Taylor,  as  Judge 
Douglas  had  his  in  1860  in  the  election  of  Lincoln.  Both  the 
old  Democratic  and  Whig  parties  in  1848  tried  hard  not  to  see 
the  "nigger  in  the  wood-pile,"  but  still  he  was  there.  In  1860 
the  great  body  of  the  old  Whigs  of  the  free  States  had  fully  en- 
dorsed the  principles  of  the  Quincy  Tribune  of  1848. 

Our  first  city  charter,  called  the  old  city  charter,  was  ap- 
proved February  3,  1840 — over  forty-one  years  ago.  This 
charter  was  a  most  excellent  one,  and  we  fear  its  subsequent 
amendments  have  not  improved  it.  It  contained  eight  chapters 
or  articles,  embracing  the  following  subjects,  viz.«: 

ARTICLE  i,  Section  i.  Boundaries  of  the  city,  beginning  in 
the  middle  of  the  main  channel  of  the  Mississippi  River,  west  of 


the  south  line  of  Jefferson  street,  thence  up  the  river  with  said 
channel  to  a  point  due  west  of  the  northern  extremity  of  Pease's 
addition  to  said  town,  thence  due  east  to  the  eastern  side  of  Wood 
street  now  Twelfth  street),  thence  due  south  along  Wood  street  to 
a  point  due  east  from  the  place  of  beginning,  thence  due  west 
down  the  south  side  of  Jefferson  street  to  the  place  of  beginning. 
The  present  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Town  of  Quincy  were 
required  on  or  before  the  ist  of  March  thereafter  to  divide  the 
city  into  three  wards,  &c. 

ARTICLE  2.     Of  the  City  Council. 

ARTICLE  3.     Of  the  Chief  Executive  Officer. 

ARTICLE  4.     Of  Elections. 

ARTICLE  5.     Of  the  legislative  powers  of  the  City  Council. 

ARTICLE  6.     Of  the  Mayor. 

ARTICLE  7.     Miscellaneous  provisions. 

The  first  charter  had  very  properly  provided  that  the  mayor 
of  the  city  should  be  a  freeholder;  this  provision  was  repealed 
at  the  instance  of  one  of  our  representatives  in  the  legislature  by 
the  act  of  January  7,  1841,  which  also  amended  the  first  charter. 
This  amendment  also  followed  the  old  constitutional  provision 
upon  the  subject  of  voters — which  it  was  contended  allowed  any 
white  man  above  the  age  of  21  years  who  had  resided  in  the 
State  six  months  preceding  any  election  to  vote,  whether  he 
was  a  citizen  of  the  United  States  or  not. 

The  writer  was  first  elected  a  justice  of  the  peace  at  the  No- 
vember election,  1836.  I  was  always  a  Whig  and  Republican, 
and  my  opponent  had  been  a  Whig,  but  turned  Democrat  just 
before  the  election.  The  contest  was  close.  I  had  some  good 
friends  among  the  Democrats  and  they  went  for  me,  though 
they  voted  for  Van  Buren  for  President.  Some  of  these  Ger- 
man friends  had  been  here  not  over  six  months  and  were  not 
citizens  of  the  United  States.  We  voted  then  viva  voce,  or 
"sing  out  your  choice."  Some  of  the  writer's  friends  under- 
stood no  English,  but  having  been  impressed  by  my  friends  to 
vote  for  Asbury — they  had  retained  my  name  only — and  after 
giving  their  names  to  the  clerks  of  the  election  when  they  come 
up  to  vote,  were  asked  by  the  judges,  "Who  do  you  vote 
for?"  to  which  they  promptly  replied,  "For  Asbury."  "Who 
do  you  vote  lor  for  President?"  to  which  they  promptly  replied, 
"For  Asbury;"  then  who  do  you  vote  for  for  magistrate?"  that 
was  a  stumper,  but  after  a  little  they  said,  "For  Van  Buren." 
This  thing  had  gone  on  for  a  time  and  the  writer  finding  it  out 


84 

appealed  to  the  judges  to  correct  the  vote  according  to  the  in- 
tention of  the  voter,  which  was  to  vote  for  Asbury  for  justice  of 
the  peace.  The  judges  agreed  to  explain  to  the  next  voters,  so 
as  to  avoid  further  mistakes;  but  the  first  votes  recorded  for 
Asbury  for  President  and  Van  Buren  for  justice  of  the  peace, 
were  lost  to  both.  Whilst  upon  this  subject  of  my  first  election, 
now  near  forty-six  years  ago,  seeing  that  the  statute  of  limita- 
tions has  run  out  long  ago,  I  may  as  well  tell  all  I  know  about 
it.  I  was  made  a  candidate  and  elected  by  my  friends,  and  did 
nothing  in  the  premises,  except  to  do  as  advised  to  do  by  those 
who  knew  more  than  I  did.  A  few  days  before  the  election  I 
was  told  to  go  to  the  grocery  of  a  certain  man,  always  my 
friend,  but  now  dead,  and  to  inform  him  that  I  was  a  candidate, 
&c.,  and  that  I  knew  of  some  Iriends  who  occasionally  came  into 
his  grocery — bye  the  bye,  he  had  two  of  them — and  I  wanted 
him  to  give  them  something  to  drink,  after  they  had  voted,  of 
course,  to  mark  it  all  down,  and  I  could  come  around  to  the 
captain's  office  in  a  day  or  two  and  settle.  At  the  two  places, 
as  I  now  recollect,  there  was  a  hundred  marks  against  me,  at 
five  cents  each.  I  could  stand  that,  only  five  dollars.  After  the 
polls  closed,  however,  and  it  was  found  that  I  was  elected  by  some 
thirty  votes,  in  passing  to  my  place  of  boarding  past  the  principal 
grocery,  they  saw  and  hauled  me  in,  and  with  great  hand- 
shaking and  shoulder  slapping,  congratulated  me.  Of  course  I 
again  set  up  beer  all  around,  and  when  about  starting  for  the 
door,  an  old  friend,  now  dead,  said,  "Asbury,  I  want  some 
Rhine  wine;  I'm  tired  of  beer."  To  this  I,  of  course,  replied, 
"Let  him  have  whatever  he  wants."  Being  elected,  I  felt  rich 
with  fifteen  dollars  in  my  pocket — all  I  had  in  the  world ;  went 
home  happy.  The  next  day  I  called  to  settle,  and  was  informed 
that  my  friends  had  made  a  merry  night  of  it,  and  the  grocery 
keeper  said  that  I  had  said  let  them  have  what  they  want,  and 
they  had  taken  me  at  my  word,  drinking  and  carousing  all 
night,  singing  and  shouting  for  Asbury  and  Van  Buren.  As 
this  narrative  progressed,  I  began  to  feel  scared,  but  timidly 
asked  how  much.  In  response  the  grocery  keeper  said  that  the 
bill  was  only  forty-two  dollars;  that  they  took  all  his  Rhine 
wine — thirty  bottles,  at  one  dollar  a  bottle — and  so  my  poor 
fifteen  dollars  did  not  meet  the  demand,  but  borrowing  enough 
money  I  at  once  paid  the  bill.  This  was  the  first  and  last  time 
I  treated  at  an  election,  and  now  I  don't  believe  it  gained  me  a 
single  vote.  In  Quincy,  in  1836,  the  sum  of  even  forty-two 
dollars  was  a  large  amount  to  a  young  greenhorn  fellow  without 
any  money. 


85 

The  City  of  Quincy,like  most  of  our  young  cities  in  the  State, 
has  had  considerable  legislation  in  her  behalf,  or  in  her  supposed 
interests.  I  deem  it  proper  to  the  end  that  such  of  my  readers 
as  may  wish  to  trace  back  this  legislation,  as  perhaps  somewhat 
affecting  sundry  interests,  to  give  a  list  of  these  several  acts 
with  their  dates,  as  follows : 

The  act  of  1841,  exempting  the  county  from  the  support  of 
paupers  within  the  city. 

The  act  of  March  3,  1845,  relating  to  city  warrants,  State 
law. 

The  act  of  February  14,  1845,  to  amend  the  city  charter  pro- 
viding for  a  school  tax  of  one-eighth  of  one  per  cent. 

The  act  of  February  27,  1847,  to  erect  the  City  of  Quincy 
into  a  common  school  district.  By  this  law  the  care  and  super- 
intendence of  these  schools  was  made  to  devolve  upon  the  City 
Council.  The  writer  had  been  a  member  of  the  old  School 
Board  of  Trustees,  and  prepared  the  bill  substantially  as  it 
passed  into  a  law. 

The  act  to  amend  the  charter  of  the  City  of  Quincy  approved 
February  27, 1847. 

The  act  to  authorize  John  Wood  to  lay  out  a  part  of  the  north- 
west quarter  of  section  eleven,  township  two,  south,  range  nine, 
west,  as  a  bury  ing-ground  to  be  called  Woodland  Cemetery, 
&c.,  approved  January  16, 1847. 

The  act  approved  February  15,  1851,  to  provide  for  assess- 
ments of  property  in  Quincy  for  State  taxes,  &c.,  and  exempting 
Quincy  from  the  operation  of  township  organization. 

An  act  was  approved  (see  State  laws)  November  6,  1849, 
supplemental  to  the  act  to  provide  for  a  general  system  of  rail- 
road corporations. 

The  act  of  February  — , ,  authorizing  Quincy  to  levy  a 

special  tax  for  purposes  therein  mentioned,  and  in  the  same 
year,  but  February  15,  as  to  date  (see  charter  of  1857,  page  17) 
an  act  authorizing  incorporated  cities  to  change,  alter  and  vacate 
streets,  &c. 

The  act  approved  February  27,  1854,  relates  chiefly  to  the 
office  of  police  magistrates. 

The  act  approved  January  17,  1855,  amendatory,  &c.,  of  the 
act  of  February  3,  1840,  to  incorporate  the  City  of  Quincy,  and 
among  other  things  re-defining  and  extending  corporate  limits, 
thus:  "Beginning  in  the  middle  of  the  main  channel  of  the 
Mississippi  River  at  a  point  due  west  from  the  northwest  corner 


of  section  thirty-five,  in  township  one,  south,  range  nine,  west, 
running  thence  east  to  said  northwest  corner  of  said  section  thirty- 
five;  thence  east  on  the  north  line  of  said  section  thirty-five  and 
to  the  northeast  corner  of  said  section  thirty-six;  thence  east  on 
the  north  line  of  section  thirty-one,  in  township  one,  south,  range 
eight,  west,  two  rods ;  thence  south  at  the  distance  of  two  rods, 
aforesaid,  east  of  the  east  line  of  the  aforesaid  section  thirty-six  and 
of  the  east  line  of  sections  one  and  twelve,  in  township  two,  south, 
range  nine,  west,  to  a  point  two  rods  east  of  the  southeast  cor- 
ner of  the  north  half  of  said  section  twelve;  thence  west  along 
the  south  line  of  said  north  half  of  said  section  twelve  and  the 
south  line  of  the  north  half  of  section  eleven,  in  the  last  afore- 
said township  and  range,  to  the  southwest  corner  of  said  north 
half  of  section  eleven;  thence  west  to  the  middle  of  the  main 
channel  of  the  Mississippi  River;  thence  up  said  river  along  the 
main  channel  thereof  to  the  place  of  beginning;  all  within  the 
County  of  Adams,  and  State  of  Illinois."      And  by  the  act  of 
February  28,  1867,  there  was  attached  to  the  city,  and  is  within 
the  corporation,  the  following:     "Beginning  at  the  intersection 
of  the  north  line  of  Broadway  and  the  east  line  of  Twenty-fourth 
street,  in  said  city,  and  running  thence  due  east  to  the  north- 
west corner  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  six,  in  township 
two,  south,  range  eight,  west;  thence  due  south  to  a  point  due 
east  of  the  southwest  corner  of  the  'Quincy  Cemetery';  thence 
due  west  to  the  east  line  of  said  Twenty-fourth  street;  and  thence 
due  north  along  said  street  to  the  beginning."      The  present 
boundaries  of  Quincy,  including  half  of  the  Mississippi  River 
in  its  front  may  be  stated  as  follows:    The  city  front  in  and  upon 
the  river  is  two  and  a  half  miles.     The  river  at  this  point  is  sub- 
stantially one  mile  in  width — one-half  of  this  width  or  to  the 
middle  of  the  main  channel  gives  an  area  of  five  quarter  sections, 
or  800  acres   of  the   water    of   the    river    within    the    city 
limits.     Our  land  area  embraces  substantially  five  quarter  sec- 
tions from  west  to  east,  or  two  and  a  half  miles,  and  also  five 
quarter  sections  from  north  to  south,  or  two  and  a  half  miles; 
so  that  including  the  water  area  of  Quincy,  and  also  including 
the  last  addition,  formerly  called  East  Quincy,  the  present  city 
contains  substantially  (26)  twenty-six  quarter  sections,  or  4,160 
acres,  of  which  800  acres  is  in  the  Mississippi  River,  leaving 
our  dry  land  area  only  3,360  acres.     We  may  remark  here  that 
it  sometimes  becomes  of  interest  in  census  matters,  to  know  the 
area  of  a  town  or  city  in  connection  with  the  number  of  its  in- 


87 

habitants.  For  the  convenience  of  reference  in  examining  titles 
we  state  that  Quincy  contains  all  of  section  thirty-six  and  thirty- 
five,  one  south,  nine  west,  and  all  of  sections  one,  two,  north 
half  of  eleven  and  twelve,  two  south,  nine  west,  besides  160 
acres,  the  part  of  six,  two  south,  eight  west,  upon  which  the  old 
East  Quincy  is  situated.  As  somewhat  illustrative  of  the  im- 
portance ot  boundaries  upon  the  census  question,  I  insert  here 
the  boundaries  of  our  sister  city  of  Peoria,  as  furnished  us  from 
her  record,  viz. :  The  corporate  limits  and  jurisdiction  of  the 
City  of  Peoria  shall  embrace  and  include  within  the  same  all  of 
fractional  section  two;  all  of  fractional  section  three;  the  south 
half  of  section  four ;  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  four ;  the 
south  half  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  four ;  the  south- 
east quarter  of  section  five;  the  south  half  of  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  five ;  all  of  section  eight ;  fractional  section 
nine;  fractional  section  ten;  fractional  section  sixteen;  fractional 
section  seventeen;  township  eight,  north,  range  eight  east  of  the 
fourth  principal  meridian,  and  to  the  middle  of  Lake  Peoria 
and  Illinois  River.  I  have  not  now  before  me  an  exact  state- 
ment of  the  areas  of  the  fractional  sections  within  the  boundaries 
of  Peoria,  but  having  been  for  a  time  register  of  the  United 
States  land  office  here,  I  became  very  familiar  with  the  plat  of 
township  eight,  north,  eight,  east  and  have  made  a  calcu- 
lation of  the  number  of  acres  of  the  land  area  of  that  city,  and 
judge  it  to  be  not  less  than  5,000;  her  water  area,  which  in- 
cludes a  part  of  Lake  Peoria,  amounts  to  nearly  as  much  as 
that  of  Quincy,  or  at  least  to  600  acres,  that  of  Quincy  being 
800  acres.  The  land  area  of  Quincy  is,  as  stated,  3,360  acres. 
So  that  the  land  area  of  Peoria  is  1,640  acres  more  than  that  of 
Quincy.  Including  the  water  area  of  both,  Peoria  has,  say 
5,600  acres,  whilst  Quincy  has  4,160  acres. 

An  act  to  amend  an  act  for  the  better  government  of  towns 
and  cities,  and  to  amend  the  charter  thereof,  was  approved 
February  15,  1855. 

An  act  to  amend  an  act  entitled  "An  Act  to  Incorporate 
Woodland  Home  for  Orphans  and  Friendless,"  was  approved 
February  18,  1859. 

An  act  passed  providing  for  the  vacation  of  streets,  alleys,  and 
town  plats;  the  act  applied  to  all  towns  and  cities,  and  was  ap- 
proved February  19,  1859. 

An  act  in  relation  to  the  City  of  Quincy  was  approved 
February  20,  1861.  This  act  authorized  the  issuing  and  sale  of 


city  bonds  a  sufficient  amount  to  pay  the  January  and  July  in- 
stallments of  interest  upon  indebtedness  for  1861,  &c. 

An  act  to  establish  a  Board  of  Education  in  the  City  of 
Quincy  was  approved  February  20,  1861,  and  on  the  22d  of  the 
same  month  a  supplemental  act  upon  the  same  subject  was  ap- 
proved. 

On  the  2Oth  of  January,  1857,  an  act  was  approved  to  reduce 
the  law  incorporating  the  City  of  Quincy  and  the  several  acts 
amendatory  thereof  into  one  act  and  to  amend  the  same.  Since 
and  before  this  time  several  acts  of  our  legislature  have  been 
passed  affecting  our  city,  among  them  the  act  of  February  14, 
1863,  limiting  city  taxation,  &c.  In  1875, tne  city  published  the 
revised  ordinances,  now  in  force,  and  generally  taking  up  the 
copies  of  the  revised  ordinances  of  1864.  This  was  no  doubt 
done  to  prevent  comparison  and  misunderstanding  as  to  the 
present  ordinances  of  the  city.  The  provisions  of  one  or  two 
important  laws  affecting  the  city  were  thus  omitted  in  the  revised 
ordinances  of  1875.  February  16,  1857,  there  was  approved  an 
act  supplemental,  &c.,  to  the  act  to  reduce  the  law  incorporating 
Quincy,  &c.  This  curious  law  authorized  the  City  Council  of 
the  City  of  Quincy,  Illinois,  (anything  contained  in  the  act  to 
which  this  was  a  supplement  notwithstanding)  to  issue  city 
bonds  to  any  amount  not  exceeding  at  one  time  in  the  aggregate 
the  sum  of  $75,000,  and  not  bearing  a  rate  of  interest  higher 
than  eight  per  cent  per  annum,  the  interest  to  be  paid 
annually  or  semi-annually,  at  the  option  of  the  said  City  Coun- 
cil. Thus  under  this  law,  the  City  of  Quincy,  Illinois,  it  seems 
to  us,  might  or  at  least  had  the  power,  so  far  as  the  legislature 
could  give  it,  to  issue  city  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $75,000,  every 
other  day,  up  to  the  time  the  act  of  February  16,  1857,  was  re- 
pealed, if  it  ever  was  repealed.  These  bonds  might  be  sold  at 
any  price,  for  in  their  sale  they  were  not  restricted  in  that  re- 
spect. The  legislature  of  Illinois,  it  seems,  has  never  had 
time  or  disposition  to  disappoint  any  one  who  wanted  anything. 
Somebody  wanted  this  law. 

January  26,  1859,  there  was  approved  an  act  to  confirm  an 
act  entitled  "An  act  to  reduce  the  law  incorporating  the  City  of 
Quincy,"  &c.,  &c.  This  original  law  to  reduce,  &c.,  after  it  had 
passed  was  found  to  be  minus  the  enacting  clause ;  hence  that 
act  to  confirm  the  same,  though  some  other  matters,  as  the 
making  three  collection  districts  for  the  city — thus  instead  of  one 
city  collector,  we  were  to  have  three— all  to  be  elected  at  the 
annual  charter  election. 


89 

There  was  approved  February  14,  1863,  an  act  amendatory 
to  the  several  acts  relating  to  the  City  of  Quincy,  to  provide  for 
raising  a  revenue  therein  and  regulating  costs  arising  under  the 
charter  and  ordinances  of  said  city.  This  act  provided  for  but 
one  collection  district,  and  that  the  city  should  not  be  required 
to  give  security  for  costs  in  any  prosecutions  or  suits  arising 
under  the  charter  or  ordinances  of  said  city,  &c.  Section  4 
reads:  "The  City  Council  of  said  city  shall  have  power  to  levy 
and  collect,  annually,  taxes  on  real  and  personal  property  within 
the  limits  of  said  city  as  follows:  On  real  and  personal  property 
within,  or  which  may  be  hereafter  within,  portions  of  said  city 
lighted  with  gas,  to  meet  the  expenses  thereof,  not  exceeding 
twenty-eight  cents  on  each  hundred  dollars  per  annum  of  the 
annual  assessed  value  thereof.  On  all  real  and  personal  prop- 
erty within  the  limits  of  said  city,  to  meet  the  expenses  of 
obtaining  school  grounds,  and  erecting,  repairing  and  improving 
school  buildings  and  grounds,  and  providing  teachers  and  main- 
taining public  schools  in  said  city,  and  to  be  devoted  exclusively 
for  such  purposes,  not  exceeding  twenty-five  cents  on  each  one 
hundred  dollars  per  annum  on  the  assessed  value  thereof;  pro- 
vided, that  no  more  than  eighteen  cents  on  each  one  hundred 
dollars  aforesaid  shall  be  levied  in  any  year  for  such  purposes, 
without  concurrence  of  a  majority  of  the  votes  of  legal  voters 
of  said  city,  to  be  cast  at  an  election  to  be  ordered  by  said  City 
Council  and  held  to  determine  the  rate  per  cent  so  to  be  levied. 
On  all  real  and  personal  property  within  the  limits  of  said  city, 
to  pay  the  debts  and  meet  the  general  expenses  of  said  city,  not 
exceeding  fifty  cents  on  each  one  hundred  dollars  per  annum  on 
the  annual  assessed  value  thereof."  All  laws  and  parts  of  laws  . 
other  than  the  foregoing  provisions  were  repealed,  as  touching 
the  levy  and  collection  of  taxes  on  property  within  the  city,  &c., 
&c.,  except  as  to  streets  or  alleys  or  licenses,  &c.,  &c. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


SOME  SHORT  NOTES  OF  EVENTS  OR  MEMORABILIA  FROM  1852 
TO  1874,  MOSTLY  TAKEN  FROM  A  CONCISE  RECORD  OF 
HISTORICAL  FACTS,  PREPARED  FROM  PRIVATE  MEM- 
ORANDA AND  FROM  AUTHENTIC  SOURCES— 
AND  SOME  OTHER  MATTERS. 


SHE  article  headed  "Memorabilia,"  in  the  Quincy  Whig  of 
December  31, 1874,  tne  materials  for  which  in  a  small  part 
was  prepared  by  the  writer,  and  from  a  careful  examination  of 
the  larger  part,  prepared  by  General  Tillson,  deemed  by  me  to 
be  substantially  correct,  I  do  not  hesitate  to  use — beginning  with 
the  year  1853.  This  year  Quincy  was  made  a  port  of  entry. 

In  1854  the  population  of  the  city  was,  by  city  census,  10,777. 
First  railroad  iron  laid  May  29.  First  engine  started  Septem- 
ber 13.  Thayer's  distillery  burned;  loss  $50,000.  City  lighted 
by  gas  December  2. 

In  1855  Woodland  Home  established,  July  i.  City  limits  ex- 
tended. 

In  1856  110,000  barrels  of  flour  made  in  Quincy;  550,000 
bushels  of  wheat  used.  Average  price  of  flour,  $6.50;  of  wheat, 
$1.00  per  bushel.  Thus — cost  of  wheat,  $550,000;  value  of 
flour,  $715,000.  The  C.,  B.  &  Q.  railroad  opened  to  Galesburg 
February  i,  thus  connecting  through  to  Chicago  and  the  East. 

In  1857  Levi  Wells,  one  of  our  early  settlers  and  one  of  the 
first  County  Commissioners,  died  July  u.  Mr.  Wells  Uved  and 
died  one  of  our  most  respected  and  worthy  men. 

The  city  voted  $50,000  to  the  Quincy  &  Palmyra  railroad. 
This  road,  now  used  in  connection  with  the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joe 
road,  for  some  time  after  its  completion  to  Palmyra,  owing  to 
very  peculiar  circumstances  and  prejudices,  was  not  allowed  to 


91 

connect  its  rails  with  the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joe  road  at  Palmyra, 
and  not  till  after  the  war  of  the  rebellion  had  commenced  was 
the  connection  first  made  by  the  military  authorities.  "The 
nigger  in  the  woodpile"  could  no  longer  obstruct.  The  City  of 
Palmyra,  I  think,  never  objected  to  the  connection.  Our  first 
Board  of  Trade  was  organized  May  n — now  dead — but  it  kept 
up  a  sort  of  legal  existence  until  the  death  of  Captain  Joe  Artus. 
The  Daily  Republican  newspaper  was  started  January  r.  This 
and  all  other  Whig  or  Republican  papers  prior  to  this  time 
afterwards  fell  into  the  Whig. 

In  1858  the  great  debate  in  Washington  Park  occurred 
between  Lincoln  and  Douglas. 

In  1861  Buddee  &  Meyer  started  here  the  first  strictly  whole- 
sale dry  goods  house.  A  Board  of  Education  was  established. 
Cunningham  was  hung  for  murder,  in  the  jail  yard,  this  year. 

In  1863  Pinkham  Hall  was,  on  the  2ist  day  of  April,  dedicated 
by  the  Needle  Pickets. 

In  1864  the  first  draft  occurred. 

In  1865  Rose,  an  alleged  bushwhacker,  was  taken  from  the 
jail  and  hung  by  some  of  the  convalescent  soldiers  in  the  hospital 
here,  aided  by  a  number  of  promiscuous  people  and  inhabitants. 
Rose  was,  I  believe,  accused  of  having  shot  Mr.  Trimble,  a 
valuable  and  prominent  Democratic  citizen  of  Marcelline. 

In  1866  we  had  3,732  steamboat  arrivals.  The  first  steam  fire 
engine  was  procured  this  year. 

In  1867  work  commenced  on  the  railroad  bridge  over  the 
Mississippi  River.  Our  first  horse  railroad  was  opened  from 
the  old  postoffice  on  Maine  street  to  the  northern  limits  of  the 
city,  via  Fifth  street.  The  great  fire  at  the  corner  of  Maine 
and  Sixth  streets  occurred.  Old  City  Hall  burned. 

In  1868  the  railroad  bridge  was  completed,  at  an  alleged  cost 
of  $1,800,000.  There  were  1,898  steamboat  arrivals.  In  1867 
and  also  in  1868  the  State  Fair  was  held  here. 

In  1870,  May  6,  the  great  fire  corner  of  Fourth  and  Maine 
streets  occurred,  burning  the  Herald  office,  with  many  leading 
interests  and  buildings;  loss,  $200,000. 

In  1872  the  Quincy,  Alton  &  St.  Louis  railroad  was  com- 
pleted to  Louisiana,  Missouri. 

In  1873  the  waterworks  were  commenced. 

In  1874  the  fire  on  Maine  street,  north  side,  between  Sixth 
and  Seventh  streets,  occurred;  loss,  $28,000.  The  great  bank 
robbery  of  the  First  National  Bank  occurred.  The  vault  was 


92 

broken  open  and  some  $80,000  in  money  and  a  large  amount  of 
bonds  stolen.  The  public  have  never  known  or  been  informed 
as  to  who  were  the  robbers.  All  information  and  suspicions,  it 
any  exist,  have  been,  no  doubt  with  the  ultimate  hope  of  detect- 
ing the  criminals,  withheld  from  the  public,  especially  from  the 
newspapers.  Our  people,  perhaps  simply  because  this  was  the 
first  great  robbery  of  a  bank  from  the  outside  here,  wondered 
more  about  it  than  they  do  in  New  York  or  any  where  else  in 
a  larger  city. 

As  I  advance  by  laboring  steps  in  this  veritable  history,  I  find 
that  I  shall  be  compelled  to  adopt  the  free-and-easy  and  catch- 
as-I-can  method  of  running  and  wrestling  through  it,  giving 
glances  at  Quincy  matters  and  making  some  special  notes  con- 
cerning some  of  our  people  in  their  respective  avocations  and 
business,  telling  some  old  time  stories  and  anecdotes,  and  finally 
whatever  I  may  remember  or  think  of  within  the  range  of  this 
book.  There  is  no  lack  of  material.  Indeed,  there  are  too 
many  people  here  who  justly  might  claim  a  special  notice  at  my 
hands,  but  which  for  want  of  space  I  find  it  impossible  to  give. 

In  that  most  valuable  Fair  book  or  pamphlet  of  1867,  pub- 
lished by  Addison  Langdon,  Esq.,  the  writer  is  kindly  men- 
tioned as  having  rendered  service  therein.  The  sketch  attrib- 
uted to  Mr.  Holmes  was  exceedingly  valuable.  Judge  Henry 
L.  Warren  informed  the  writer  that  he  had  assisted,  or  indeed 
mainly  prepared  the  sketch,  somewhat  revised  and  added  to  and 
published  by  Mr.  Langdon  in  1867.  Having  in  some  consider- 
able degree  helped  in  the  preparation  of  the  Fair  book  of  1867, 
and  with  the  consent  of  Mr.  Langdon,  I  now  do  not  hesitate  to 
copy  from  said  publication  such  articles  as  the  following: 

MANUFACTURING  AND  COMMERCIAL  ADVANTAGES. 

In  considering  the  advantages  of  any  city  as  a  manufacturing  point,  two 
things  require  to  be  especially  regarded:  the  degree  of  cheapness  with 
which  articles  may  be  produced,  and  the  facilities  with  which  they  be  dis- 
tributed throughout  the  country. 

Quincy  is  situated  upon  the  Mississippi  River,  160  miles  above  St.  Louis, 
and  110  miles  west  of  Springfield,  the  seat  of  government  of  Illinois — the 
county  seat  of  Adams  County,  the  second  county  in  the  State  in  population 
and  wealth.  She  is  the  market  for  a  country  which  is  unsurpassed  for 
fertility  and  productiveness.  On  the  north  and  east,  within  a  distance 
easily  accessible  by  railroad,  lie  vast  beds  of  superior  coal,  which  are,  as 
yet,  almost  undisturbed.  In  the  neighboring  -counties  of  Hancock  and 
McDonough  some  few  veins  have  been  opened,  and  a  company  has  been 
organized  which  import  it  to  some  extent  into  the  city,  but  considering  the 
demand  which  even  now,  upon  its  first  production  exists,  and  with  the 


93 

high  price  which  results  from  imperfect  apparatus  and  arrangements  for 
mining,  it  may  be  said  that  as  yet,  comparatively  nothing  has  been  done 
toward  converting  to  use  this  important  element  of  wealth  and  prosperity. 
The  value  of  coal  as  fuel  or  as  a  generator  of  steam  is  too  well  known  to 
require  remark.  Its  superior  excellence  and  cheapness  recommend  it  to 
universal  use,  and  when  these  mines  are  opened  and  worked  to  the  extent 
of  their  capacity,  the  advantages  which  Quincy  will  enjoy  over  her  neigh- 
bors will  be  immense.  Coal  is  not  an  article  that  admits  of  distant  trans- 
portation for  general  consumption,  and  while  they  are  forced  to  use  wood 
as  a  fuel  at  a  large  and  yearly  increasing  price,  she  may  enjoy  an  ample 
supply  of  coal  at  a  cheap  and  constantly  decreasing  rate.  This  single  cir- 
cumstance, other  things  being  equal,  gives  her  great  superiority  as  a  man- 
ufacturing point. 

The  price  at  the  present  time  is  nineteen  cents  per  bushel,  and  with 
increased  capital,  facilities  for  mining  and  transportation,  and  the  compe- 
tition that  will  ensue  upon  the  opening  to  market  of  the  large  deposits  in 
Brown  and  Schuyler  counties,  we  may  reasonably  expect  that  it  will  soon 
be  afforded  at  twelve  cents  per  bushel.  In  addition  to  the  abundance  of 
coal,  the  cheapness  of  erecting  buildings  suitable  to  extensive  operations, 
the  abundance  of  labor,  and  the  small  cost  of  sustaining  a  working  popu- 
lation, together  with  other  circumstances  favorable  to  economical  produc- 
tion, all  tend  to  designate  this  as  the  future  store  house  and  manufacturing 
center  of  a  large  extent  of  territory.  Rafts  of  pine  lumber  are  constantly 
arriving  from  the  Upper  Mississippi,  but  the  supply  heretofore  has  scarcely 
been  commensurable  with  the  demand.  Within  the  past  year,  however, 
great  attention  has  been  paid  to  the  production  of  hard  wood  lumber  in 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  city.  Upon  the  bluffs  adjoining  on  the  north 
and  south,  on  the  islands  in  the  river  within  a  short  distance  above  and 
below,  and  immediately  opposite,  on  the  Missouri  shore,  lie  vast  tracts  of 
timber  lands  which  will  eventually  be  made  to  furnish  not  only  a  large 
proportion  of  timber  required  for  building  purposes,  but  also  of  that  em- 
ployed in  manufacturing  wagons,  household  furniture,  &c.,  to  which  it  is 
admirably  adapted.  Several  steam  saw  mills  are  now  in  active  operation, 
and  two  or  three,  for  a  series  of  years,  have  done  a  large  and  profitable 
business ;  but  in  common  with  all  other  producing  establishments,  they 
have  been  found  the  past  year  or  two,  inadequate  to  supply  the  growing 
necessities  of  the  place,  and  several  additional  ones  have  been  erected  in 
the  dense  forests  of  Missouri,  opposite  the  city,  and  upon  the  neighboring 
islands,  the  influence  of  which  is  already  perceptible  upon  the  lumber 
market  of  Quincy.  The  engine  and  machinery  necessary  to  run  a  pro- 
ductive mill  may  be  purchased  here,  carried  and  set  up  within  a  short 
distance  in  the  midst  of  an  almost  inexhaustible  supply  of  walnut,  oak, 
elm,  maple,  ash,  linn,  hickory,  and  other  of  the  heavier  kinds  of  timber, 
for  a  comparatively  small  sum,  and  the  cost  of  getting  the  lumber  to 
market  is  slight.  From  these  facts  we  are  justified  in  concluding  that  good 
and  cheap  lumber  may  hereafter  be  had  in  abundance. 

The  bluffs  in  the  neighborhood  contain  large  deposits  of  the  best  lime- 
stone, admirably  suited  to  building  purposes,  and  extensive  quarries  supply 
the  city  with  it  in  great  abundance.  Lime  and  brick  are  manufactured  on 
an  extensive  scale,  and  late  patented  improvements  have  greatly  facilitated 
the  process,  and  materially  lessened  the  expense.  In  short,  all  kinds  of 
material  employed  in  building,  may  be  purchased  in  any  quantities,  at  the 
lowest  rates. 


94 

The  beauty  and  healthfulness  of  the  location,  as  well  as  the  comparatively 
low  figures  at  which  real  estate  is  held,  have  attracted  to  this  point  a  large 
portion  of  mechanics  and  laboring  men,  who  are  to  a  large  and  perhaps 
unequalled  extent  house-holders,  and  proprietors  of  the  dwellings  which 
they  inhabit.  The  exemption  from  exorbitant  rents,  the  cheapness  and 
abundance  of  fuel,  the  large  amount  of  breadstuffs  manufactured,  and  the 
fertility  and  productiveness  of  the  country  in  which  the  city  is  situated, 
together  conspire  to  render  the  cost  of  living  comparatively  small.  Labor 
is  thus  more  remunerative,  although  afforded  at  a  cheaper  rate,  than  at 
almost  any  other  point  in  the  West. 

This  is  a  consideration  of  the  highest  importance  to  a  manufacturing 
community ;  and  without  it,  establishments  on  an  extensive  scale,  which 
require  the  employment  of  a  large  number  of  hands,  could  not  be  profit- 
ably conducted.  The  position  of  Quincy  upon  the  Mississippi  Kiver 
enables  her  readily  to  import  the  raw  material  which  goes  to  supply  her 
manufactories.  In  addition,  this  great  natural  advantage  affords 
cheap  and  reliable  means  during  three-fourths  of  the  year,  for  the 
distribution  abroad  of  manufactured  articles,  as  well  as  for  the  reception  of 
materials. 

Quincy  has  now  over  1,500  business  houses,  shops  and  places  of  dealing, 
embracing  every  variety  of  trade,  calling  and  manufacture.  It  is  deemed 
more  in  accordance  with  the  present  and  future  prospects  of  Quincy,  and, 
if  you  please,  with  her  dignity,  as  holding  among  young  cities  the  plan  of 
a  fixed  eminence,  to  treat  her  as  already  to  some  extent  known.  Her 
manufactories  embrace  steam  flouring  mills,  corn  meal  and  feed  mills, 
steam  saw  mills,  machine  shops,  stove  foundries,  other  foundries,  stove 
and  tin-ware  manufactories,  copper  and  sheet-iron  works,  furniture  manu- 
factories, wagon  factories,  carriage  factories,  agricultural  implement  facto- 
ries, copper  shops,  pump  makers,  brick  makers,  stone  masons,  stone  cutters, 
lime  burners,  marble  works,  wooden-ware  manufacturers,  boiler  makers, 
planing  mills,  grain  distillers,  brewers,  soda  water  manufacturers,  vinegar 
makers,  rope  makers,  paper  mills,  printing  establishments,  book  binderies, 
soap  and  candle  makers,  saddle  and  harness  makers,  bakers,  confectionery 
manufacturers,  gas  works,  and,  indeed,  every  usual  manufacturing  pursuit 
and  business.  Many  of  these  branches  are  run  very  heavily  here,  and 
besides  supplying  the  home  demand,  send  large  quantities  and  heavy 
amounts  to  the  west  of  us,  up  the  river,  and  in  every  direction. 

MERCANTILE  INTERESTS. 

The  dry  goods  business  here  is  very  extensive — both  wholesale  and 
retail.  It  is  believed  that  some  of  our  jobbing  houses  here  afford  to  the 
country  merchant  better  and  cheaper  facilities  for  laying  in  their  stocks 
than  they  can  find  any  where  else.  The  retail  dry  goods  business  here 
has,  for  many  years,  been  quite  extensive,  and  has  always  in  the  main  been 
characterized  by  cheapness  to  the  buyers  and  fair  dealing  towards  custom- 
ers. We  have  here  heavy  hardware  stores,  iron  stores,  leather  stores, 
forwarding  and  commission  houses,  wholesale  grocery  houses,  retail 
groceries,  variety  stores,  rectifiers  and  liquor  dealers,  lumber  dealers, 
clothing  stores,  merchant  tailors,  book  stores,  drug  stores,  boot  and  shoe 
stores,  auction  houses,  watch  and  jewelry  stores,  china,  glass  and  queens- 
ware  houses,  tobacco  and  cigar  stores,  hat  and  cap  stores,  millinery  and 
bonnet  stores,  ice  dealers,  pork  packers,  beef  packers,  fruit  dealers,  pack- 


95 

ing  houses,  and  in  short  every  sort  of  business  houses  and  places  of  busi- 
ness and  dealers  usually  found  in  cities.  These  interests,  the  mercantile, 
have  heretofore  been  the  most  prominent  of  our  interests;  but  as  new 
veins  of  enterprise  are  struck  in  the  more  enduring  and  profitable  pursuits 
of  manufacture,  we  are  beginning  to  realize  our  destiny  as  a  manufactur- 
ing city  more  clearly.  Still  there  is  no  rivalry  between  them,  but  on  the 
contrary  a  harmony  of  interests. 

The  Mississippi  River  has  always  been  to  the  inhabitants 
along  its  margins,  and  especially  to  Quincy,  an  object  of  special 
interest,  and  up  to  the  advent  of  our  railroads  almost  our  only 
great  carrier  of  freights.  I  here  note  some  facts  concerning  the 
opening  of  its  navigation  and  its  annual  closings,  as  may  throw 
some  light  upon  the  conduct  of  this  Father  of  Waters  in  the 
future;  as  what  has  been,  may  again  be: 

In  1844  navigation  closed  December  12. 

In  1845  navigation  closed  December  2. 

In  1847  navigation  closed  December  20. 

In  1851  navigation  closed  December  18. 

In  1868  navigation  closed  December  26. 

I  believe  some  of  our  oldest  inhabitants  remember  one  or 
more  winters  since  1834  during  which  the  river  did  not  close  by 
freezing  here,  but  we  have  had  no  entire  winter  when  naviga- 
tion remained  uninterrupted  all  through. 

In  1846  navigation  opened  March  5. 

In  1848  navigation  opened  January  i ;  closed  on  the  loth  and 
re-opened  on  February  5. 

In  1852  navigation  opened  February  8. 

In  1857  navigation  opened  February  13. 

In  1868  navigation  opened  March  7. 

In  1869  navigation  opened  January  6,  and  remained  open. 

I  find,  as  published  in  the  Quincy  Herald,  what  purports  to 
be  an  annual  statement  of  the  Quincy  Railroad  Bridge.  The 
report  is  dated  January  8,  1875,  an^  a§  showing  one  of  our 
important  institutions,  and  the  conduct  of  the  weather  and  the 
stage  of  the  river  for  several  years,  as  also  the  excellent  man- 
agement of  the  bridge,  with  other  matters  of  interest,  I  make 
from  it  the  following  synopsis : 

BUSINESS  OF  1874. 

Total  number  of  trains  passing 6,152 

Number  of  trains  crossed  the  year  before 6,519 

Loaded  and  empty  cars 46,591 

Average  detention  of  trains,  only  6§  minutes. 

RIVEE  BUSINESS. 

Keokuk  Northern  Line  boats  up  and  down 701 

Barges  up  and  down 318 

Quincy  &  Keokuk  Line  boats  passing  up  and  down 697 

Barges  up  and  down 135 


96 


Transient  boats  up  and  down 612 

Barges  up  and  down .....141 

Sail  boats  up  and  down 76 

Number  of  barges  floating  under  the  bridge 56 

DETENTIONS  TO  STEAMBOATS. 

Sixty-two  steamboats  with  barges  in  tow  turned  around  and  backed 
down  through  the  "draw"  with  an  average  detention  of  21$  minutes  to 
each.  Th'e  only  lengthy  detentions  during  the  year  are  as  follows: 

The  steamer  Lake  Superior  came  down  with  three  barges  in  tow  on  the 
morning  of  May  1,  a  strong  wind  was  blowing  of  3£  pounds  pressure.  She 
turned  round  and  backed  through  the  draw  channel,  and  in  consequence 
was  detained  1  hour  and  4  minutes. 

The  steamer  Andy  Johnson  came  down  early  on  the  morning  of  May  3; 
a  strong  wind  was  blowing  at  the  time.  She  landed  and  tied  up  at  the 
Missouri  shore  above  the  bridge  and  waited  daylight  before  attempting 
a  passage,  thereby  was  detained  1\  hours. 

The  steamer  Rob  Roy  came  down  November  30  during  darkness,  and 
heavy  anchor  ice  was  running  in  the  river.  She  landed  and  tied  up  at  the 
Missouri  shore  above  the  bridge  and  waited  daylight  and  the  cessation  of 
running  ice,  and  was  delayed  11  hours  and  21  minutes. 

MISCELLANEOUS    ITEMS    AND    OBSERVATIONS    COMPARED 

WITH  1873. 


Amount  of  rain-fall  and  melted 
snow,  1874. 

Months.  Inches. 

January 4J 

February 3 

March 2£ 

April 3i 

May 2| 

June 4f 

July 5£ 

August 2J 

September 5J 

October 2 

November 4| 

December 3 

Total 43 

Amount  of  snow-fall  during  season 

Months.  Inches. 

January 5J 

February 6 

March If 

April 6£ 

November 7£ 

December 8J 

Total 35| 


Amount  of  rain-fall  and  melted 
snow,  1873. 

Months.  Inches. 

January 5| 

February 1J 

March 1 

April 8J 

May 5 

June 1£ 

July 3! 

August 3J 

September 5! 

October 6f 

November 1| 

December 9| 

Total 52J 

Amount  of  snow-fall  during  1873. 

Months.  Inches. 

January 27£ 

February 7£ 

March 4f 

April — 

November — 

December 2£ 

Total...  ....411 


97 


Average    temperature    of   each 
month  during  the  year. 

Months.  Degrees. 

January 28.41-100 

February 30.00 

March 38.30 

April 42.87 

May 66.97 

June 76.79 

July 80.49 

August 75.19 

September 68.67 

October 56.15 

November 40.85 

December...,  ..  31.87 


Average  each  month 53.  4-100 


Average    temperature    of  each 
month  in  1873. 

Months.  Degrees. 

January 15.50-100 

February 25.50 

March 39.50 

April 48.00 

May 62.00 

June 77.50 

July 76.13 

August 77.50 

September 63.34 

October 49.37 

November 38.88 

December....  ..  32.00 


Average  each  month 50.43-100 


January  15,  the  coldest  day  of  the  year,  mean  temperature  2  degrees 
above  zero. 

In  1873  we  had  the  coldest  day  January  28,  mean  temperature  13  degrees 
below  zero. 

January  15,  at  7  A.  M.,  the  coldest  observation,  6  degrees  below  zero. 

In  1873,  January  20,  the  coldest  observation  at  7  A.  M.,  25  degrees  below 
zero. 

August  11,  the  hottest  day  of  the  year,  mean  temperature  90f  degrees 
above  zero. 

In  1873,  July  15,  the  hottest  day,  87^  degrees  above  zero. 

August  10,  at  2  P.  M.,  the  hottest  observation  of  the  year,  101  degrees 
above  zero. 

In  1873  we  had  the  hottest  observation  August  31,  at  2  p.  M.,  98  degrees 
above  zero. 

March  27,  the  highest  stage  of  water  during  the  year,  10  feet  above  low 
water  mark. 

In  1873  we  had  the  highest  water  on  June  18,  13  feet  6£  inches  above 
low  water  mark. 

December  31,  the  lowest  stage  of  water  of  the  year,  1  foot  5|  inches 
above  low  water  mark. 

In  1873  we  had  the  lowest  water  on  December  1,  3  inches  above  low 
water  mark. 

March  14,  the  final  disappearance  of  ice. 

In  1873,  the  final  disappearance  of  ice,  March  14. 

October  11,  the  first  autumnal  frost. 

In  1873  we  had  the  earliest  frost  September  13. 

November  19,  the  first  snow  of  the  season. 

In  1873  we  had  the  first  snow  October  24. 

November  25,  the  first  ice  running  in  the  river. 

In  1873  we  had  the  first  ice  November  18. 

April  13,  the  strongest  wind  of  the  year,  12  pounds  pressure  per  square 
foot. 

In  1873  we  had  the  strongest  wind  July  4,  18  pounds  pressure  per  square 
foot. 


The  river  remained  open  almost  to  the  end  of  the  year,  closing  at  9:30 
A.  M.,  December  31.  A  few  boats  ran  irregularly  during  the  winter  months, 
but  owing  to  the  low  stage  of  water  and  heavy  ice  running,  the  regular 
navigation  business  did  not  begin  until  March  2,  and  practically  closed 
November  30,  thus  occupying  267  days,  during  which  there  was  an  average 
of  8  boats  per  day  through  the  "draw." 

The  highest  number  of  passages  in  one  day  being  15.  The  average 
number  of  trains  crossing  the  bridge  per  day  during  the  year  was  17.  The 
highest  number  in  one  day  being  28.  The  total  number  of  cars  crossing 
the  bridge  during  the  year  would  probably  reach  50,000,  but  previous  to 
February  4  no  account  was  kept.  The  greatest  number  of  cars  crossing  in 
one  day  was  273. 

No  accidents  of  any  kind  occurred  during  the  year. 

I  find  in  the  Herald  of  January,  1875,  ^e  following  tables  re- 
lating to  taxes,  and  as  that  is  a  subject  likely  to  abide  with  us, 
I  here  append  it,  as  follows: 

THE  AMOUNT  OF  TAXES  LEVIED  IN  CITY  AND  COUNTY  FOR  1874. 

At  the  office  of  County  Clerk  Haselwood,  we  were  yesterday  shown  the 
following  statement  of  the  tax  levy  in  the  city  and  county  for  1874,  which 
will  be  forwarded  to  the  Auditor  of  State  as  required  by  law.  The  follow- 
ing is  the  statement: 

THE  ASSESSMENT. 


ASSESSED  VALUE.  EQUALIZED    VAL. 


Lands . 
Lots... 


Personal  Property. 


$11,012,450 
9,913,884 
4,844,183 


$12,170,650 

10,792,506 

4,341,426 


Total. 


$22,774,526 


$27,304,582 


TAXES. 
The  following  are  the  amounts  of  the  various  taxes : 

State  tax $  81,630  22 

County  tax 71,669  83 

Town  tax 8,100  74 

District  school  tax 65,481  40 

Delinquent  road  tax 5,554  96 

Highway  and  bridge  tax 13,051  09 

Corporation  tax 2,993  96 

Sidewalk  tax 205  50 

Back  tax 4,329  13 

State  tax  (interest  on  bonds) 46,824  11 

Sny  Levee  tax 2,656  83 


Total  tax  OH  town  lots  and  personal  property $302,497  86 


99 

RAILROAD  TAX. 
The  following  is  a  list  of  the  tax  levied  upon  railroad  companies  : 

C.,  B.  &  Q.,  main  line $  9,316  09 

C.,  B.  &  Q.,  Burlington  line 7,981  98 

T.,  W.  &  W 3,715  84 

Quincy,  Alton  &  St.  Louis 1,239  78 


Total  railroad  tax $  22,253  69 

Total  amount  of  tax  levied  in  the  county $324,751  55 

TAXES  BY  TOWNSHIPS. 
The  following  is  the  total  amount  of  tax  levied  in  the  several  townships : 

Clayton $    9,161  55 

North  East 8,055  82 

Camp  Point 16,305  64 

Houston '. 6,533  39 

Honey  Creek 7,598  93 

Keene 5,548  34 

Lima 6,966  01 

Mendon 13,869  97 

Ursa 8,782  24 

Gilmer 7,689  01 

Columbus 5,556  60 

Concord 4,384  49 

McKee 3,671  89 

Liberty 6,973  66 

Burton 6,929  10 

Beverly 4,261  97 

Richfield 4,863  90 

Payson 12,460  85 

Ellington 17,208  66 

Melrose 11,866  30 

Fall  Creek 10,931  47 

City  of  Quincy 122,598  70 

Of  the  amount  of  tax  levied  in  the  City  of  Quincy,  $46,824.11  is  to  pay 
interest  on  the  bonds  of  the  city.  The  amount  levied  in  the  city  for 
county  purposes  is  $33,454.59.  Before  the  recent  change  in  the  revenue  law 
the  city  paid  annually  $3,000  as  its  share  of  tax  for  county  purposes  and 
supported  its  own  paupers.  Under  the  present  arrangement,  the  city  pays 
the  same  rate  for  county  purposes  as  the  townships,  and  the  paupers  are 
supported  out  of  the  county  fund. 


CHAPTER  X. 


SOME  SPECIAL  NOTES  OF  SOME  OF  OUR  PEOPLE  AND  OF  BUSINESS 
IN  THE  PAST — AND  SOMEWHAT  OF  THE  PRESENT  IN 
RESPECT  TO  AVOCATIONS  AND  CHARACTER- 
ISTICS— MASTER  HUMPHREY'S  CLOCK 
— MRS.  SARAH  DENMAN. 


»NDER  this  head  1  do  not  propose  to  run  into  lengthy 
biographies  or  extended  eulogies  of  the  dead,  or  of  praise 
of  the  living.  In  this  humble  effort  I  do  not  propose  to  attempt 
to  rival  "Plutarch's  Lives"  or  "Boswell's  Johnson."  All  those 
we  have  deemed  our  greatest  or  best  men — now  dead — will  no 
doubt  be  well  written  about  by  abler  pens  than  mine.  To  be 
very  candid,  I  hardly  think  that  most  of  our  great  men,  when 
living,  would  have  desired  that  I  should  be  their  biographer. 
Men  of  genius  and  distinction  we  have  certainly  had  among  us 
here  in  Quincy — a  good  many  of  them.  Of  such  lawyers  as 
Archibald  Williams,  O.  H.  Browning,  N.  Bushnell,  O.  C.  Skinner, 
William  A.  Richardson,  Peter  Lott,  and  some  others,  now  all 
dead,  I  have  already  written  in  short  sketches  of  bench  and  bar, 
which  may  be  added  to  this  book. 

Of  such  physicians  as  Joseph  N.  Ralston,  Adam  Nichols, 
Samuel  W.  Rogers,  Hiram  Rogers,  C.  A.  W.  Zimmerman,  Sr., 
and  others,  likewise  all  dead,  I  must  attempt  no  biographies. 
These  all  still  live  in  that  most  valuable  history,  though  mainly 
unwritten,  remaining  in  the  memories  oi  their  successors  in  their 
honored  profession. 

Our  earliest  lawyers  here  before  1831  were  John  E.  Jeffers, 
Louis  Masquerier,  George  Logan,  James  H.  Ralston,  Archibald 
Williams,  O.  H.  Browning,  and  soon  after  Robert  R.  Williams, 
James  W.  Whitney,  Thomas  Ford,  afterwards  Governor, 


101 

Adolphus  Hubbard,  who  became  Lieutenant  Governor  and  died 
here,  his  remains  lying  in  the  present  Court  House  square.  Of 
what  might  be  called  our  second  batch  of  lawyers,  here  from 
1835  to  1847,  there  were  the  following:  M.  D.  Browning, 
Henry  Asbury,  Peter  Lott,  William  Darling,  Jacoby  Halleck, 
Ebenezer  Moore,  Calvin  A.  Warren,  N.  Bushnell;  in  1837, 
Andrew  Johnston;  1836,  John  R.  Randolph,  Charles  Gilman, 
Almeron  Wheat;  1839,  Charles  A.  Savage,  Horace  S.  Cooley; 
1840,  Philo  A.  Goodwin;  1841,  J.  Quinn  Thornton,  William  H. 
Ralston,  James  M.  Burt,  Louis  M.  Booth,  E.  J.  Phillips,  William 
H.  Benneson;  1843,  Isaac  N.  Morris,  Egbert  A.  Thompson, 
Charles  B.  Lawrence,  Charles  H.  Milner,  Isaac  M.  Grover, 
Abraham  Jonas,  Perkins  Cleveland;  1847,  Adolphus  Engleman, 
David  L.  Hough,  George  C.  Dixon,  Peachy  R.  Gilmer,  Charles 
W.  Billington,  Joseph  M.  Higbee,  George  Williams — he  died  in 

1833  or  34,  his  widow  became  Elizabeth  Lindsay,  the  founder 
of  the  Lindsay  Church    Home — Seth  C.  Sherman,   Onias  C. 
Skinner;  1845,  Jonathan  M.  Bassett,  Bushrod  W.  Lott,  Homer 
Parr  and  John  Tillson.     Many  of  these  are  now  dead,  many  of 
them  were  not  in  practice  when  in  1847  the  list  was  made,  and 
many  of  them  have  moved  away.     Only  about  twelve  out  of 
this  list  of  forty-six,  as  above,  are  known  to  be  now  living. 

The  first  physician,  as  stated,  who  settled  here  was  Dr.  Baker, 
from  New  York,  in  1826.  In  1827  Dr.  Harrison,  and  in  1833 
Dr.  Ralston,  both  from  Kentucky,  came  here.  Not  later  than 

1834  Doctors    S.    W.   Rogers,   Shepherd,    Hornsby,    Hiram 
Rogers  and  McKee,  but  later,  though  among  early  physicians, 
came  Josiah  Conyers. 

In  the  year  1840,  prompted  mainly  by  members  of  the  Quincy 
Library  Association,  a  club  of  ten  gentlemen  here  formed  them- 
selves into  the  Quincy  Historical  Club,  formed  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  early  historical  events  in  Quincy  and  the  Mississippi 
Valley.  This  club  consisted  of  John  R.  Randolph,  Peter  Lott, 
S.  W.  Rogers,  William  H:  Taylor,  E.  J.  Phillips,  Daniel  Stahl, 
Almeron  Wheat,  Isaac  M.  Grover,  C.  M.  Woods  and  Henry 
Asbury.  At  the  instance  of  other  citizens  outside  of  the  club, 
among  them  Joseph  T.  Holmes,  Esq.,  the  City  Council  we 
think  some  time  after  passed  a  resolution  that  the  subject  of  a 
history  of  Quincy  should  be  recommended  to  the  club,  and  it 
designated  Peter  Lott,  E.  J.  Phillips  and  Henry  Asbury  to  col- 
lect materials  and  prepare  such  history.  This  committee  went 
to  work,  and  through  interviews  with  old  settlers,  such  as  John 


102 

Wood,  Willard  Keyes  and  others,  collected  and  wrote  down 
many  items  concerning  our  early  settlements  and  settlers.  All 
this  material,  in  its  original  and  hastily  prepared  shape,  is  in 
the  possession  of  the  writer.  A  good  many  of  the  items  have 
from  time  to  time  been  furnished  to  our  papers  by  Mr.  Keyes, 
General  Tillson,  the  writer  and  others.  The  committee  of  the 
club  at  first  went  to  work  collecting  materials  with  great  dili- 
gence. An  introductory  chapter  was  partly  written  by  Judge 
Lott,  and  there  it  stopped.  At  that  time  we  were  all  three  of  us 
busy  men.  Captain  Phillips  went  away,  as  also  in  time  Judge 
Lott.  They  are  both  now  dead,  "and  I  alone  am  left  to  tell  the 
story."  Kind  reader,  let  this  recital  be  my  apology  for  attempt- 
ing this  work. 

I  find  among  the  papers  collected  a  memorandum  relating  to 
Quincy,  without  date,  but  in  the  hand-writing  of  Judge  Lott. 
I  am  not  able  to  fix  the  precise  date  this  paper  should  bear,  but 
think  it  must  have  been  written  between  1846  and  1848.  It  is 
as  follows: 

Hotels — Quincy  House,  Virginia  Hotel,  Front  Street  House, 
Quincy  Hotel,  American  House,  Clinton  House,  Travellers' 
Home.  Breweries — Frances',  Washington,  Delabar's.  Beer 
shops,  licenses  $200 — Clinton  Lunch,  Alhambra,  Keise's,  Quincy 
House,  Arthur's.  Bakeries — John  P.  Nelch's,  Ergott's,  Lilly- 
bridge's,  Green's,  Kendall's.  Saddlers — Bernard  &  Lockwood, 
Boyd  &  Allen,  Day,  Griffin,  Ohnemus,  Craig.  Drug  stores — 
Hoffman's,  Taylor  &  Bro.'s,  Flachs  &  Doway's.  Confec- 
tioneries— Kendall's,  Lillybridge's,  Snyders,  Manly's,  Nelch's, 
Ergott's,  William  Foot's.  Tailors — Parker,  Brougham,  Bert, 
Alger,  McGowan,  Cody,  Groneger,  Fred.  Smith,  Lakey, 
Emery,  E.  M.  Davis,  Dell  and  Pool.  Blacksmiths— Slack,  Step- 
perfield,  Potts,  McFarland,  Vanfleet,  Dills,  RuorT,  Hilborn  and 
Schwabel. 

I  also  find  without  date,  but  I  believe  it  should  not  be  later 
than  1847  or  8 — say  at  least  thirty-four  years  ago — a  list  of  our 
business  men,  but  which  also  contains  a  few  of  the  above 
names,  viz: 

Vannest,  Keis,  Danake, 

John  Schell,  Stone,  Flagg, 

Goodpasture,  Thompson,  Church, 

Whipple,  Karnes,  Truefit, 

Slaughter,  Russell,  Thayer, 

Miller,  Brawley,  Brown, 

Bidwell,  Steinburg,  De  Young, 


103 

King  &  Jasper,                   Roth,  Vincent, 

Pope  &  Co.,                       Meier,  Powers, 

Bishop,                              Murphy,  Fletcher, 

Laage,                               Newcomb,  E.  M.  Davis, 

Jones  &  Wheeler,             Shultz,  Whitney, 

Caffrey,                             Jonas,  Field, 

Barker,                               Msertz,  Brittingham, 

Sage,                                   Konantz,  Fisher, 

Dorman,                             Emerson,  Brown  &McClintock, 

Manzey,                              Wilgard,  Clows, 

Schultheis,                        Mrs.  Smith,  Weber, 

Payne,                               Louvinet,  Butze, 

Smith,                               Comstock,  Doak  &  Timberman, 

Tandy  &  Sawyer,              Allen,  Simister, 

Chapman,                         Brown  &  Dimock,  Rice, 

Ruoff,                                Bull,  Arthur. 

Among  the  memoranda  collected    by    our   committee    and 

now  in   my  possession,  I  find  the  following,   which  I  believe 

should  be  dated  in  1848: 

OLD  TIME  BLACKSMITHS. 

Joseph  Galbreath,  from  Pennsylvania,  in  1835,  boss. 

Philip  Slagle,  from  Germany,  here  four  years,  boss. 

William  Hellerman,  from  Germany,  here  two  years,  journey- 
man. 

J.  Miller,  from  Germany,  here  one  year,  boss. 

Casper  Ruff,  from  Germany,  here  eight  years,  boss. 

R.  and  —  Sartell,  from  Massachusetts,  here  ten  years,  bosses. 

A.  Travis,  from  Ohio,  here  four  years,  boss. 

John  Amerman,  raised  in  Illinois,  journeyman. 

J.  N.  Botts,  from  New  York,  here  three  years,  boss. 

Harrison  Dills,  from  Virginia,  here  fifteen  years,  boss. 

Henry  L.  Beckett,  from  Missouri,  here  twelve  years,  boss. 

J.  Richardson,  from  Ohio,  here  three  years,  journeyman. 

William  McCoy,  from  Ohio,  here  six  years,  journeyman. 

Jacob  Parsons,  from  Massachusetts,  here  eleven  years,  journey- 
man. 

John  Spece,  from  Germany,  here  four  years,  journeyman. 

Abraham  Vanfleet,  from  New  Jersey,  here  ten  years,  boss. 

Lewis  Slack,  from  Delaware,  here  eight  years,  boss. 

Joseph  R.  Hilborn,  from  Maine,  here  nine  years,  boss. 

Reason  Cross,  from  Virginia,  here  ten  years,  journeyman. 

John  Valentine,  from  Ohio,  here  two  years,  journeyman. 

William  Orr,  from  Ohio,  here  two  years,  journeyman. 

Alexander  McFarland,  from  New  York>  here  ten  years, 
journeyman. 


104 

OLD  TIME  CARPENTERS. 

The  following  list  was  furnished  to  our  committee  in  1848 — 
thirty-three  years  ago — and  most  probably  was  intended  to  in- 
clude all  their  names  since  1830  to  date.  Thus:  Brazilla  Clark, 
Harrison  Clark.  The  first  was  one  of  our  earliest  Justices  of 
the  Peace.  Once  upon  a  time  he  had  tried  a  case,  and  in  his 
decision  gave  offense  to  one  of  the  parties.  A  few  days  after, 
whilst  Brazilla  was  plowing  in  his  field,  the  offended- litigant 
came  to  him  and  gave  him  an  awful  cursing.  For  this  the 
Justice  fined  him  for  contempt.  The  case  finally  went  to  the 
Supreme  Court,  and  is,  as  I  believe,  reported  in  Breese.  The 
fine  was  sustained. 

Philip  Sherman  came  in  1831  from ,New  York 

Samuel  Hedges  came  in  1833  from New  York 

Henry  King  came  from New  York 

Henry  W.  Miller  came  in  1830  from New  York 

James  Beaham  came  in  1840  from Ohio 

John  Beaham  came  in  1842  from Ohio 

Henry  L.  Simmons  came  in  1835  from New  York 

David  Demaree  came  in  1835  from New  York 

Daniel  Demaree  came  in  1835  from New  York 

Charles  Gurn  came  in  1835  from Pennsylvania 

David  McCreary  came  in  1835  from Pennsylvania 

Amos  W.  Harris  came  in  1834  from Kentucky 

Samuel  Jackson  came  in  1836  from Ohio 

Jackson  came  in  1845  from Ohio 

John  Belch  came  in  1837  from New  York 

Chambers  came  in  1833  from Maine 

T.  C.  King  came  in  1832  from Kentucky 

Robert  Bangs  came  in  1833  from Maine 

John  Bangs  came  in  1833  from Maine 

Newton  Cloud  came  in  1838  from Ohio 

Porter  Smith  came  in  1836  from Ohio 

Augustus  Kraber  came  in  1837  from .Pennsylvania 

Frederick  G.  Johnson  came  in  1837  from Pennsylvania 

George  Fulkrod  came  in  1837  from Pennsylvania 

Robert  Morgan  came  in  1839  from Delaware 

Robert  F.  Morgan  came  in  1839  from Pennsylvania 

William  Morgan  came  in  1839  from Pennsylvania 

John  Morgan  came  in  1839  from Pennsylvania 

George  Morgan  came  in  1839  from Pennsylvania 

Robert  S.  Benneson  came  in  1837  from.... Pennsylvania 

William  Benneson  came  in  1837  from Pennsylvania 

John  Crockett  came  in  1837  from Massachusetts 

Charles  Howland  came  in  1837  from Massachusetts 

Silas  Houghton  came  in  1836  from Massachusetts 

Jared  Blansett  came  from Maryland 

Bowman  came  in  1837  from 

Morse  came  in  1837  from...,  .... 


105 

George  Miller  came  in  1837  from Maryland 

Nathaniel  Summers  came  in  1830  from Kentucky 

George  Baughman  came  in  1837  from Maryland 

Joseph  Stanley  came  in from 

John  Craig  came  in from 

John  McDade  came  in  1833  from Kentucky 

James  McDade  came  in  1833  from Kentucky 

William  Williams  came  in  1836  from New  York 

Campbell  came  in  1837  from Maryland 

Quigg  came  in  1837  from Maryland 

William  Hague  came  in  1837  from England 

Joseph  Harvey  came  in  1836  from New  York 

James  Gregg  came  in  1836  from Kentucky 

Nathaniel  Cheeney  came  in  1833  from Massachusetts 

John  Huckins  came  in  1833  from Maine 

John  Cleveland  came  in  1834  from Massachusetts 

John  Cleveland  came  in  1835  from Ohio 

Dan  Whyers  came  in  1837  from 

DavidWalters  came  in  1837  from 

Amos  Green  came  from Pennsylvania 

Joseph  Welch  came  in  1844  from Pennsylvania 

David  G.  Anderson  came  in  1847  from Pennsylvania 

R.  G.Simpson  came  in  1840  from Pennsylvania 

David  Wood  came  in  1837  from Massachusetts 

James  Jamison  came  in  1845  from Kentucky 

Todd  came  in  1846  from Kentucky 

Asa  Fox  came  in  1838  from Connecticut 

Daniel  Atkinson  came  in  1836  from Ohio 

Sol  Phenegar  came  in  1836  from Ohio 

John  Garnett  came  in  1836  from Connecticut 

William  Rowland  came  in  1837  from Massachusetts 

Thomas  Winters  came  in  1834  from England 

Samuel  Winters  came  in  1834  from England 

Orrin  Hedges  came  in  1834  from New  York 

William  Squires  came  in  1833  from Kentucky 

Martin  Turner  came  in  1833  from , Kentucky 

Reuben  Turner  came  in  1833  from Kentucky 

Granville  Turner  came  in  1833  from Kentucky 

William  Richardson  came  in  1831  from Kentucky 

Elijah  Corwin  came  in  1833  from New  York 

William  Millard  came  in  1835  from -....Michigan 

Ralph  came  in  1834  from Maryland 

Nathan  Dalby  came  in  1835  from Ohio 

James  Dalby  came  in  1835  from Ohio 

Rufus  Underwood  came  in  1846  from Iowa 

James  C  Sprague  came  in  1831  from New  York 

Joseph  Lyman  came  in  1837  from Connecticut 

Ryan  Brittingham  came  in  1837  from Maryland 

Beauchamp  came  in  1838  from Kentucky 

James  Burrill  came  in  1837 '. Connecticut 

Hugh  Barr  came  in  1840  from Pennsylvania 

Whitcomb  came  in  1836  from Massachusetts 


106 

Caleb  Story  came  in  1844  from Rushville 

Andrew  Fee  came  in  1845  from , Virginia 

George  Mclntyre  came  in  1836  from Virginia 

J.  I.Whitney  came  in  1838  from Ohio 

Cavitt  came  in  1845  from 

L.  K.  Hamilton  came  in  1843  from 

Eaton  Littlefield  came  in  1837  from Maine 

August  Littlefield  came  in  1837  from Maine 

Charles  Swett  came  in  1837  from Maine 

Nathan  Dresser  came  in  1837  from ...New  York 

Thomas  Temple  came  in  1836  from Virginia 

James  Woodcock  came  in  1840  from Pennsylvania 

Jacob  Woodcock  came  in  1840  from Pennsylvania 

Adolph  Keltz  came  in  1834  from Germany 

Ira  Fagg  (Ivory)  came  in  1833  from Massachusetts 

Edward  Wooters  came  in  1840  from Kentucky 

Solomon  Wooters  came  in  1840  from Kentucky 

Wesley  Wooters  came  in  1840  from Kentucky 

Benjamin  Worrell  came  in  1834  from Pennsylvania 

B.  T.  Osborn  came  in  1835  from New  York 

C.  B.  Churchill  came  in  1835  from New  York 

- — -  Johnson  came  in  1837  from : Scotland 

George  Bledsoe  came  in  1837  from Kentucky 

Edward  Turner  came  in  1834  from Maine 

Joseph  Stockelman  came  in  1835  from Connecticut 

George  Bowers  came  in from Maryland 

Samuel  Bowers  came  in from .Maryland 

Loar  Bowers  came  in from Maryland 

Joel  Thorn  came  in from Pennsylvania 

Frederick  Miller  came  in  1847  from Germany 

Q.  S.  Barton  came  in  1843  from Connecticut 

James  Orr  came  in  1846  from 

William  Kelley  came  in  1846  from ; 

George  Bittleson  came  in  1844  from England 

McMahan  came  in  1837  from Ireland 

William  Bowen  came  in  1843  from ...Ireland 

Joseph  Long  came  in  1837  from Ireland 

James  Samples  came  in  1836  from Ohio 

Stephen  George  came  in  1840  from ;... Indiana 

Joshua  Kelleson  came  in  1837  from ;.... Virginia 

William  Ashford  came  in  1837  from...* ....Virginia 

This  list  includes  about  130  names — old  citizens  will  remem- 
ber most  of  them.  Many  of  them  we  know  to  be  dead.  Some 
of  them  deserve  more  than  this  passing  notice,  but  we  can  do 
no  more. 

We  have  had  here  a  number  of  business  men  engaged  in 
merchandizing,  who,  though  quite  early  in  the  field,  had  gone 
out  of  business  before  1848,  among  them  John  W.  McFadon. 
This  gentleman  at  first  had  a  store  at  what  was  then  called 
Bear  Creek,  in  this  county,  now  known  as  Marcelline.  He  was 


107 

not  generally  or  all  the  time  at  Bear  Creek,  spending  a  great 
part  of  every  year  in  Baltimore.  After  closing  the  Bear  Creek 
store,  or  perhaps  even  before,  Mr.  McFadon  had  for  a  time 
a  retail  store  in  Quincy,  on  the  north  side,  and  upon  closing 
this  store  he  finally  went  out  of  business,  devoting  the  remainder 
of  his  life  to  the  management  of  his  private  affairs,  never  seek- 
ing or  holding  any  office.  In  the  early  times  every  dry  goods 
and  miscellaneous  store,  especially  in  the  country,  kept  on  tap  a 
barrel  of  whisky,  to  be  retailed  to  the  farmers  in  quantities  of 
not  less  than  one  quart.  During  the  harvest  time  whisky  was 
deemed  absolutely  necessary  in  the  harvest  field.  Mr.  McFadon, 
when  he  left  the  store  for  Baltimore,  instructed  his  clerk 
especially  not  to  sell  liquor  in  a  less  quantity  .  than  the  law 
allowed.  No  license  was  required  for  selling  in  the  prescribed 
quantities,  and  he  took  out  none.  Whilst  he  was  away,  there 
came  to  the  store  one  day  a  man  who  persuaded  the  clerk  to  sell 
him  a  pint  of  whisky,  and  then  he  gave  information  to  the 
grand  jury,  and  Mr.  McFadon  was  indicted  for  selling  a  pint  of 
whisky  without  license.  The  trial  came  on,  and  Mr.  Browning 
defended,  proving  that  the  defendant  was  not  in  the  State  at  the 
time  of  the  alleged  selling,  and  that  he  had  given  strict  orders 
to  the  clerk  not  to  sell  whisky  in  less  quantities  than  was 
allowed  by  law.  The  clerk  himself  swore  to  this,  and  that  he 
alone  was  responsible.  At  that  time  Alpheus  Wheeler,  from 
Pike,  was  in  the  habit  of  attending  our  Circuit  Courts,  then 
held  in  the  old  log  court  house — 1835 — and  he  was  the  cause  of 
creating  great  fun  in  his  speeches,  not  only  in  himself  but  in 
other  men  who  heard  him.  Some  of  our  jolly  young  fellows 
around  town  made  up  a  pony  purse  for  a  fee  to  get  Wheeler  to 
assist  in  the  prosecution  in  this  case,  and  the  prosecuting  attor- 
ney gave  Wheeler  the  closing  speech.  Mr.  Browning  hardly 
felt  it  necessary  to  say  much  to  the  jury  in  defense,  mainly 
dwelling  upon  the  facts  that  the  defendant  was  in  no  way  re- 
sponsible for  the  sale  of  the  liquor  and  was  not  in  the  State  at 
the  time,  and  the  act  was  in  positive  disobedience  to  his  special 
instructions,  as  testified  to  by  the  clerk.  But  in  the  closing 
argument  Wheeler  came  forward  for  a  big  speech.  He  ranted 
and  raved  loudly,  being  heard  all  over  town,  and  this  brought 
a  crowd  to  hear  what  was  going  on.  The  very  appearance  and 
manner  of  Wheeler  in  full  blast  cast  a  broad  grin  upon  every 
face.  All  seemed  to  enter  into  the  matter  as  a  great  joke. 
Among  many  other  things,  Wheeler  said,  substantially:  "Now, 


108 

gentlemen  of  the  jury,  the  distinguished  attorney  for  the  defense 
seems  inclined  to  treat  this  matter  as  a  very  little  thing,  and  to 
put  the  blame  upon  the  poor  clerk.  Now,  gentlemen,  whose 
whisky  was  that?  I  tell  you,  gentlemen,  that  whisky  belonged 
to  this  defendant.  Who  got  the  pay  for  it?"  By  the  way,  the 
man  who  bought  it  did  not  pay  for  it  at  all;  it  was  not  even 
charged  on  the  books,  as  stated  by  the  clerk.  The  defendant 
was  in  Baltimore  when  the  trial  took  place,  and  Mr.  Browning 
had  entered  his  appearance.  "Now,  gentlemen  of  the  jury,  let 
us  look  at  this  thing — a  little  thing — well,  yes,  it  is  a  very  little 
thing,  but  criminal  practices  always  begin  with  little  things.  If, 
gentlemen,  you  see  a  fellow  going  around  with  a  bridle  in  his 
hand,  before  long  you  will  see  him  with  a  saddle,  and  gentle- 
men, farmers,  of  this  jury,  look  out  for  your  hoss."  Anticipating 
that  the  court  would  instruct  the  jury  that  if  they  believed,  from 
the  evidence,  that  the  whisky  was  sold  by  the  clerk  without 
the  knowledge  or  consent  of  the  defendant,  and  during 
his  absence,  they  should  find  the  defendant  not  guilty, 
Wheeler  addressed  the  jury  upon  the  point  of  their  own  rights 
and  responsibilities,  saying:  "Gentlemen:  With  all  due  respect 
for  the  court,  I  tell  you  that  you  are  judges  of  both  the  'law  and 
the  evidence.'  "  The  court,  on  the  close  of  the  argument,  gave 
the  instructions  asked  for  by  the  defendant's  attorney,  but  after 
retiring  for  about  five  minutes,  the  jury  came  in  with  a  verdict 
of  guilty.  I  believe  I  have  never  seen  our  great  attorney  more 
plagued  by  a  verdict  than  on  this  occasion.  When  Mr. 
McFadon  returned  from  Baltimore,  Mr.  Browning  wanted  to 
take  up  the  case  to  the  Supreme  Court,  but  he  said,  "No;  I 
don't  care;  let  it  alone."  I  was  present  during  this  trial  and 
was  satisfied  that  the  jury  simply  entered  into  the  joke  of  the 
thing,  for  the  whole  proceeding  appeared  like  a  sort  of  legal 
frolic,  the  defendant  being  rich  and  a  gentleman,  they  thought, 
increased  the  fun  of  it.  I  knew  John  W.  McFadon  well,  seeing 
him  almost  every  day  through  many  years.  Among  those  who 
knew  him  least,  perhaps  owing  to  his  rather  distant  and  re- 
served manners  and  his  careful  and  exact  business  habits,  he 
was  to  some  extent  regarded  as  a  very  close  man.  In  any  in- 
jurious sense  this  was  a  great  mistake.  For  many  years,  as  is 
known  by  most  old  citizens,  the  writer,  perhaps  oftener  than 
any  other  resident  of  Quincy,  was  called  upon  and  somehow 
expected  to  go  around  with  all  manner  of  subscription  papers 
to  raise  voluntary  contributions  for  this  and  that,  and  especially 


109 

for  political  purposes.  In  this  way  I  have  applied  to  Mr. 
McFadon  for  many  charitable  and  political  contributions.  He 
never  would  put  his  name  to  a  paper  to  be  handed  around  and 
inspected  by  every  one  to  whom  it  was  presented,  but  he  never 
refused  under  the  name  of  cash  to  contribute  most  liberally  to 
any  effort  to  raise  money  for  a  laudable  purpose.  One  of  the 
most  upright,  independent  and  honest  men  I  ever  knew  was 
John  W.  McFadon,  and  in  writing  this  book  I  deem  it- a  duty 
to  speak  of  him  as  I  knew  him.  I  could  mention  many  instances 
where  he  gave  liberally  of  his  money  to  help  the  needy  and 
where  his  left  hand  should  not  know  what  his  right  hand  had 
done.  I  remember  one  instance  which  particularly  illustrated 
that  most  worthy  characteristic  in  him:  Upon  an  occasion,  long 
after  Mr.  McFadon  had  closed  his  mercantile  career  both  at 
Bear  Creek  and  in  Qumcy,  and  was  residing  on  York  street,  in 
the  house  in  which  he  afterwards  died,  in  passing  from 
his  home  through  Fourth  street  to  the  public  square,  his 
attention  was  attracted  to  the  wretched  and  dilapidated  condi- 
tion of  the  dwelling  of  a  widow.  A  storm  the  night  before  had 
torn  down  the  house  and  made  havoc  of  the  widow's  home. 
Mr.  McFadon  crossed  the  street,  found  the  widow  and  gave  her 
all  the  money  he  had  in  his  pocket — I  think  twenty-five  dollars 
— and  without  stopping  to  receive  her  thanks,  came  on  and  soon 
came  into  my  office,  where  he  found  some  four  or  five  of  our 
citizens  who  had  somewhat  accidentally  come  in.  Within  a  few 
minutes  thereafter,  Mr.  Samuel  P.  Church  came  into  the  office 
with  a  subscription  paper  in  his  hand  and  related  the  misfortune 
of  the  widow.  Each  of  the  gentlemen  in  the  office  at  once  made 
their  contributions  of  one  dollar  until  reaching  Mr.  McFadon, 
and  presenting  the  paper,  Mr.  Church  was  met  with  a  quiet 
refusal.  At  this  all  were  a  little  astonished,  and  Mr.  Church 
did  not  fail  to  show  his  disgust.  I,  among  the  rest,  by  looks,  at 
least,  manifested  a  little  unpleasant  feeling.  I  could  see  that 
Mr.  McFadon  himself  did  not  feel  comfortable.  The  other 
gentlemen  soon  left  and  after  awhile  Mr.  McFadon  also  went  out ; 
but  after  dinner  he  again  dropped  in,  seeming  a  little  at  a  loss  to 
know  whether  he  could  or  should  reveal  to  me  what  was  the 
real  state  of  the  facts,  but  he  finally  said:  "Now  Squire,  you 
heard  what  was  said  to  me  here  this  morning,  and  I  think  you 
all  felt  displeased  with  me,  but  I  will  tell  you.  I  was  at  that 
widow's  house  this  morning,  even  before  Mr.  Church,  and  I 
gave  her  all  the  money  I  had  in  my  pocket.  Now  don't  men- 
tion it,  but  I  thought  I  would  tell  you." 


Joseph  Brockschmidt,  watch-maker,  now  of  715  Maine  street, 
came  to  Quincy  about  forty-two  years  ago,  bringing  with  him 
his  now  celebrated  clock,  which  I  have  named  "Master 
Humphrey's  Clock."  It  was  probably  the  first  clock  with  a 
dial  plate  in  the  pendulum  in  the  State,  and  it  has  been  going 
for  near  forty  years.  For  a  time  after  Brockschmidt  came  here 
to  reside,  he  opened  a  little  store  of  jewelry,  &c.,  in  a  small  frame 
house  on  the  north  side  of  Hampshire  street,  about  midway  be- 
tween Fifth  and  Sixth  streets,  and  one  night  in  1845  or  1846, 
perhaps  earlier,  his  store  was  broken  open  and  robbed.  The 
thieves  took  nearly  everything  of  apparent  value,  but  the  old 
clock  was  left,  probably  not  then  put  up.  The  next  day  some 
of  our  town  officers  got  upon  the  track  of  the  robbers,  tracing 
them  to  and  through  Burton.  Their  pockets  wers  found  filled 
with  cheap  jewelry,  watches,  &c.,  and  it  appears  that  at  Burton 
they  traded  and  offered  to  trade  the  stolen  goods  at  very  low 
prices  for  anything  they  wanted — something  to  eat  and  some- 
thing to  drink.  Not  long  after  they  left  Burton  the  officers  ar- 
rived there  and  renewed  their  hot  pursuit  till  they  arrested  three 
young  fellows,  still  loaded  with  Brockschmidt's  goods.  The 
theives  were  brought  before  the  writer,  as  Justice  of  the  Peace, 
and  after  examination,  all  held  to  bail,  and  at  the  next  term  of 
the  Circuit  Court  tried,  convicted  and  sentenced  to  the  peniten- 
tiary. I  do  not  remember  all  their  names,  but  one  was  Bill 
Morgan,  a  son  of  the  celebrated  Morgan,  who  (as  was  alleged 
by  Thurlow  Weed  and  the  Anti- Masons)  was  drowned  in  Lake 
Ontario  by  a  party  of  Free  Masons,  because,  as  it  was  alleged, 
he  had  revealed  the  secrets  of  Masonry.  Morgan's  widow 
married  a  man  named  Harris,  a  silversmith,  who  for  a  time  had 
a  shop  on  the  corner  of  Fifth  and  Hampshire  streets,  in  Quincy. 
They  were  then  all  Mormons.  Harris  seemed  a  quiet,  respecta- 
ble man,  and  if  then  living,  probably  went  with  the  Mormon 
Pilgrims  to  Salt  Lake.  But  the  clock  was  made  by  Brock- 
schmidt himself,  in  Cincinnati,  just  before  he  removed  to  this 
place — he  made  two,  one  for  his  brother-in-law,  and  this  one 
for  himself.  The  old  man  still  holds  forth  as  a  watchmaker, 
and  is  one  of  several  eminently  skilled  mechanics  who  came 
here  from  Europe.  If  this  old  clock,  which  I  have  named 
"Master  Humphrey's  Clock,"  after  the  one  which  figures  in 
Dickens'  "Old  Curiosity  Shop,"  could  tell  all  that  has  trans- 
pired around  it  in  Quincy  since  it  here  began  to  note  the  hours 
of  time,  and  if  I  had  time  to  write  it  all  down,  and  if  the  reader 


Ill 

could  have  time  to  read  it  all,  this  old  clock,  as  a  text  and  start- 
ing point,  might  be  even  more  interesting  than  it  is.  But,  kind 
reader,  go  look  at  the  old  clock  as  you  pass  anyhow. 

I  feel  compelled  to  mention  with  some  particularity  two  of 
our  old  time  merchants,  now  dead,  Joel  Rice  and  Gershom  B. 
Dimock.  Both  in  their  day  and  for  many  years  contributed  to 
the  growth  and  progress  of  our  town  in  its  early  days  in  a  very 
marked  degree.  Mr.  Rice  came  here  as  early  as  1835  with  his 
family.  His  first  purchase  of  real  estate  covered  a  large  por- 
tion of  the  ground  on  the  east  side  of  Front  street,  between 
Hampshire  and  Vermont  streets.  He  for  a  short  time  resided 
upon  it.  Mr.  Rice  was  an  energetic,  honest  and  successful 
merchant.  Having  large  dealings  in  his  line  of  trade,  changing 
from  one  branch  of  business  to  another  without  hurry  or  loss,  as  in 
his  judgment  it  seemed  best.  He  was  in  fact  a  merchant,  never 
a  mere  shop-keeper.  During  his  long  life  here  he  built  a  num- 
ber of  houses,  one  or  more  upon  Washington  Park,  and  finally 
in  his  old  age  settled  down  in  the  residence  building  in  which  he 
died,  on  the  corner  of  Maine  and  Eighteenth  street,  now  owned 
by  his  daughters.  Joel  Rice  for  many  years  was  as  well  known 
here  as  any  man  in  town.  He  never  had  an  enemy,  but  many 
friends,  and  could  always  be  depended  on  to  help  every  worthy 
cause.  Quincy  owes  to  his  memory  a  large  debt  of  gratitude 
for  the  help  he  gave  in  her  early  struggle  to  get  a  start.  Mr. 
Rice  was  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  1812,  and  in  his  latest  years 
received  and  accepted  a  private  soldier's  pension. 

Of  Gershom  B.  Dimock  it  may  .be  said:  Yes,  Dimock  was 
a  good  man;  an  enterprising  business  man.  In  business  for 
many  years,  for  a  time  he  was  heavily  engaged  in  carrying  on 
a  foundry  and  machine  shop.  He  was  best  known,  however, 
as  a  retail  dry  goods  merchant.  Though  so  long  in  business, 
and  being  engaged  in  several  somewhat  risky  enterprises,  he 
never,  like  too  many  of  our  old  time  merchants,  failed,  but  left 
considerable  estate  at  the  time  of  his  decease.  His  store  was 
for  many  years  quite  a  rendezvous  for  his  farmer  customers, 
especially  from  the  southern  part  of  the  county.  They  loved 
to  come  in  and  talk  and  deal  with  Dimock,  for  he  was  as  plain 
and  as  friendly  and  as  reliable  a  man  as  any  in  the  county.  He 
was,  too,  one  of  the  few  merchants  here  in  the  olden  times  who 
took  great  interest  in  the  prosperity  of  the  town.  He  erected  a 
large,  and  in  its  day,  one  of  the  best  residence  houses  in  the 
town,  in  which  he  lived  and  died.  Mr.  Dimock  was  from  New 


112 

England,  and  whilst  he  was  a  favorite  with  New  England  peo- 
ple here,  could  easily  adapt  himself  to  the  manners  and  customs 
of  the  West.  Steady  as  the  clock  in  his  demeanor,  and  always 
liked  by  religious  people,  I  think  he  never  lost  much  sleep  in 
attending  extraordinary  night  meetings  of  any  kind. 

Mrs.  Sarah  Denman  was  for  many  years  a  resident  here,  and 
departed  this  life  on  Tuesday,  May  16, 1882.  Though  long  and 
most  favorably  known  in  the  past,  she  will  yet  longer  live  in  the 
grateful  remembrance  of  many  poor  people,  for  whose  comfort 
and  care  she  has  made  liberal  provision  in  her  last  will  and  testa- 
ment, through  her  bequests  to  the  hospital  to  bear  her  own 
name.  The  Sarah  Denman  Hospital,  under  another  name,  has, 
from  the  first  until  the  time  of  her  death,  been  helped  in  many 
ways  by  her  bounties,  and  by  her  last  will  she  gave  it,  as  I 
understand,  unconditionally,  lot  five  in  block  three,  Keyes' 
addition,  corner  of  Tenth  and  Spring  streets,  vacant,  but  with 
four  brick  houses  on  the  south  part  of  the  lot,  and  in  cash 
$4,000 — the  whole  value  of  the  bequest  was  at  least  $12,000. 
Mrs.  Denman  also,  during  her  life,  made  many  donations 
tor  charitable  objects,  and  gave  numerous  larger  and 
smaller  sums  by  her  will  to  near  relatives  and  friends.  She 
was  a  most  superior,  accomplished  and  worthy  lady,  and  though 
always  having  ample  means,  was  free  from  ostentation  and 
pride,  and  will  be  long  remembered  by  her  many  acquaintances. 
In  writing  these  short  sketches  of  Quincy,  I  can  write  of  no  one 
with  more  pleasure,  and  I  could  wish  that  we  might  have  more 
among  us  like  Mrs.  Sarah  Denman. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


OLD   TIME   BUSINESS    MATTERS — PORK    PACKING — MILLS — 
STEAMBOATS,  &c. 


JMONG  old  memoranda  before  me  I  find  one,  I  be- 
lieve, in  the  hand-writing  of  General  Morgan,  one  in  that 
of  Edward  Wells,  besides  several  others  from  other  parties  re- 
lating to  the  several  matters  therein  mentioned.  Of  our  old 
time  hog  market  arid  business,  steamboats,  &c.,  I  present  the 
following: 

OUR  OLD  TIME  HOG  MARKET  AND  BUSINESS. 
"In  the  winter  of  1833-4,  Captain  Pease  put  up  about  300 
hogs,  the  average  weight  of  which  was  about  135  pounds.     In 
1847-8,  20,000  hogs  were  packed  in  Quincy,  the  average  weight 
of  which  would  exceed  250  pounds." 


1841-42,  number  packed 11,000 


1834-35,  3,500  1842-43,  12,000 

1835-36,  3,000  1843-44,  '  18,000 

1836-37,  5,000  1844-45,  '  10,000 

1837-38,  7,000  1845-46,  '  15,000 

1838-39,  6,000  1846-47,  '  12,000 

1839-40,  10,000  1847-48,  «  ,20,000 

1840-41,  10,000 

In  view  of  the  rapid  improvement  in  the  hog  family  in  Illinois 
within  the  last  forty  years,  we  may  find  an  instance  of  the  sur- 
vival of  the  fittest  and  the  good  effects  of  natural  selection  and 
development.  Forty  years  ago  our  long-legged,  long-snouted 
swine,  running  out  and  in  our  river  bottoms,  could  run  like  a 
deer,  and  did  not  weigh  much  more  when  full-grown  and 
slaughtered.  But  it  may  be  a  matter  worth  the  consideration 
of  our  merchants  to  find  out  and,  if  possible,  remedy  the  appar- 
ent falling  off  of  this  branch  of  our  business  here.  We,  as  a 


114 

packing  point,  have  hardly  kept  pace  in  this  branch  of  business 
with  our  progress  in  other  matters.  The  following  is  General 
Morgan's  letter  or  memorandum: 

"Captain  Pease  came  to  Quincy  in  the  year  1833 — in  the  fall. 
He  came  directly  from  Cleveland,  Ohio ;  but  his  family  resided 
in  Boston,  Mass.     This  being  his  first  trip  to  the  West,  he  re- 
mained but  a  short  time  to  look  at  the  country.      He  purchased 
300  hogs,  for  which  he  paid  three  cents  per  pound ;  had  them 
slaughtered  and  packed  and  took  them  away.      This  was  the 
first  exportation  of  pork  from  this  point.     He  returned  in  the  fall 
of  1834  with  his  family  and  settled  permanently.     In  the  fall  and 
winter  of  1834-5  he  put  up  2,500  hogs,  and  paid  for  them  from 
one  to  two  cents  per  pound — two  cents  being  the  highest  price 
paid.     At  that  time  a  hog  that  would  weigh  200  pounds  was  a 
perfect  curiosity.     Samuel  Holmes  packed  about  fifty  the  same 
fall.     The  next  regular  pork  packer  who  came  here  was  Joel 
Rice,  and  after  him  Artemus  Ward.     Prices  went  up  in  the  fall 
of  1836-7.     Farmers  then  were  not  satisfied  with  six  and  six  and 
a  half  cents  per  pound,  and  many  of  them  turned  their  hogs  out 
to  range.     There  was  a  great  deal  of  money  lost  this  season  in 
the  pork  speculation.     The  increase  of  weight  in  hogs  since  1833 
(to  date,  say  1847)  has  been  from  150  pounds  to  260  pounds.  In 
1835,  Mr.  J.  Montandon  raised  a  hog  in  town  that  at  thirteen 
months  old  weighed  410  pounds.      It  was  looked  upon  as  some- 
thing   prodigious."       (We    think    Montandon's     name     was 
Henry  L.). 

The  following  is  the  memorandum  of  Edward  Wells: 
Pease  came  in  1833,  packed  about  300  hogs  and  paid  three 
cents  per  pound. 

In  1834-5,  Pease  packed  from  2,000  to  2,500,  and  paid  from 
one  and  a  half  to  two  cents  per  pound. 

In  1835-36,  S.  Holmes  and  Pease  packed  3,500,  and  paid  from 
five  to  six  and  a  half  cents  per  pound. 

In  1836-7,  Holmes,  Ward  and  Rice  packed,  and  J.  T.  Holmes 
lost  $4,000  in  the  transaction.     About  1,800  hogs  were  packed. 
In  1837-8,  Holmes,  Ward,  Rice  and  Bond  packed  about  1,500. 
This  the  first  season  beef  was  packed  for  exportation.     We  be- 
lieve that  Joseph  E.  Norwood  packed  the  first  beef. 

In  1838-9,  Holmes,  Ward  and  Rice  packed  2,000  and  paid 
from  three  to  four  cents  per  pound. 

In  1839-40,  Ward,  Wells,  Rice  and  D.  Harrison  packed  5,000, 
and  paid  three  cents. 


115 


In  1840-1,  Wells,  Ward,  Rice  and  Harrison  packed  4,000,  and 
paid  from  three  to  four  cents. 

In  1842-3,  Pomeroy,  Wells,  Ward  and  Nor  wood  packed  7,000; 
price  one  and  one-fourth  to  two  cents  per  pound. 

In  1843-4,  Pomeroy,  Norwood,  Ward  and  Wells  packed 
20,000,  and  paid  from  two  to  three  cents. 

In  1844-5,  Pomeroy,  Ward  and  Norwood  packed  12,000,  and 
paid  from  one  and  three-quarters  to  three  cents  per  pound. 

In  1845-6,  Pomeroy,  Ward  and  Norwood  packed  10,000;  price 
from  two  and  a  half  to  three  and  three-quarters  cents. 

In  1846-7,  Pomeroy,  Ward,  Norwood  and  Wells  packed 
10,000,  and  paid  from  one  and  three-quarters  to  two  and  three- 
quarters  cents  per  pound. 

Mr.  Ward  says  there  were  packed  in  the  fall  and  winter  of 
1835-6,  2,600;  average  weight  177  pounds. 

In  1836-7  there  were  packed  1,800;  average  weight  185 
pounds." 

We  have  before  us  another  memorandum  in  the  hand-writing 
of  Judge  Lott.  We  give  it  for  what  it  is  worth.  No  doubt  its 
contents  were  derived  mainly  from  reliable  sources.  It  is 
headed 

STEAM. 

"Flouring  mills,  8,  capable  of  turning  out  800  barrels  per  day ; 
saw  mills,  2 ;  distilleries,  3 — two  of  them  on  an  extensive  scale ; 
woolen  factory,  i;  foundries,  3;  tannery,  i;  leather  dealers, 
2;  saddlers,  7;  hides,  $4,000  in  a  year;  shoemaker  shops,  20; 
shoe  dealers,  2 — extensive;  stores  all  sell  shoes." 

We  have  also  before  us,  relating  to  the  year  1847 — thirty-four 
years  ago — the  following  memorandum  and  concerning  the 
manufacture  of  flour  in  Quincy.  It  is  headed  January  i,  1848, 
and  goes  back  to  1842  from  date: 

EMPIKE  MILLS. 
1842,  number  of  barrels  of  flour  manufactured 11,000 


1843, 
1844, 
1845, 
1846, 
1847, 


.10,000 
.12,000 
.13,000 
.25,000 
.22,000 


MILNER'S  MILL,  (NOW  S.  &  W.  B.  THAYER'S.) 


1842,  number  of  barrels  manufactured  (supposed) 5,000 


1843, 
1844, 
1845, 
1846, 
1847, 


4,500 
6.000 
8,000 
13,000 
12,000 


116 

JONES'  MILL  (JONES  &  WHEELER.) 
1842,  number  of  barrels  manufactured  (supposed) 8,000 


.  7,000 
.  8,000 
.  9,000 
.11,000 
.10,000 


1843, 

1844,        "  " 

1845, 

1846, 

1847,        " 

ROGERS'  MILL. 

1844,  number  of  barrels  manufactured  (supposed) 5,000 

1845,  "  "  "  "  6,000 

1846,  "  •'  "  "  9,000 

1847,  •"  "  "  "  7,000 

CENTRE  MILL. 

1845,  number  of  barrels  manufactured  (supposed) 4,000 

1846,  "  "  "  "  ~ 5,000 

1847,  "  "  "  " 6,000 

MILLER'S  MILL. 

1 846,  number  of  barrels  manufactured  (supposed) 5,000 

1847,  "  "  "  "  3,000 

Whipple's  Mill,  now  occupied  by  Charles  Steinagle,  propelled 

by  water  and  steam  power,  was  capable  of  grinding  from  fifty 
to  sixty  barrels  of  flour  per  day.  This  old  mill,  in  its  present 
shape  (1847),  was  built  in  1830 — the  first  one  long  before. 

King  &  Miller's  distillery  built  October,  1847,  capable  of 
manufacturing  fifteen  barrels  of  whisky  per  day  and  feeding  800 
head  of  hogs. 

Osborne  &  Kennard's  distillery  built  October,  1845,  capable 
of  manufacturing  fifteen  barrels  of  whisky  per  day  and  feeding 
800  hogs. 

T.  J.  Casey's  flour  mill  and  distillery,  capable  of  grinding  125 
barrels  of  flour  and  manufacturing  thirty  barrels  of  whisky  per 
day  and  feeding  2,000  hogs.  Dimensions  of  building:  Flour  mill 
of  brick,  50x60  feet,  four  stories  high ;  distillery,  80x30  feet ;  at- 
tached to  the  same  is  a  malt  house  70x22  feet;  built  November, 
1846. 

Saw  mills — North  Steam  Planing  Mills  cut  in  1845,  300,000 
feet;  1846,  420,000  feet;  1847,  550,000  feet;  1848,  part  of  the 
year,  (supposed)  280,000  feet. 

These  statistics,  as  we  have  stated,  were  made  in  1847. 
We  have  told  of  Quincy  in  her  business  and  manufacturing 
character  as  she  is  to-day  in  our  first  chapter.  We  have 
thus  far  endeavored  to  give  a  sort  of  birds-eye  view  of  all 
such  matters  of  general  interest  from  our  beginning.  No  doubt 
much  might  be  written  which  we  shall  be  compelled  to  omit. 


117 

i 

We  hold  in  our  hand  an  old  and  much  faded  memorandum, 
made,  we  think,  from  information  derived  from  Governor 
Wood,  of  early  steamboats  navigating  the  upper  Mississippi 
River.  The  first,  including  the  name  of  the  captain,  we  find  it 
rather  hard  to  make  out,  but  to  do  our  best,  we  think  the  name 
of  the  boat  was  Calhoun,  and  was  believed  to  be  the  first  boat 
up.  She  had  the  government  contract  for  carrying  supplies  up 
to  the  forts  as  early  as  1819. 

The  Indiana,  Captain  Newman. 

The  Shamrock,  Captain  May,  from  Pittsburg. 

The  Rover,  Captain  Black,  Captain  Newman,  Captain 
Carlisle. 

The  Galena,  Captain  Bates. 

The  Missouri,  Captain  Reynolds,  1827. 

St.  Louis  and  Galena  packets  and  tow-boats,  Shellcross,  1827. 

The  Red  Rover,  Captain  Throckmorton,  1827. 

The  Josephine,  Captain  Clark,  1827. 

The  Triton,  Captain  Carlisle,  1828. 

The  Chieftain,  Captain  Shellcross,  1828. 

The  Enterprise,  Captain  May,  1828. 

The  Winnebago,  Captain  Atkinson,  1828. 

The  Wallace,  Captain  Carlisle,  1832. 

The  Galeman,  Captain  Beers,  1832. 

The  Warrior,  Captain  Throckmorton,  1832. 

The  O'Connell,  Captain  Reynolds,  Captain  Cameron,  1834. 

The  Dove,  Captain  James  May,  1834. 

The  Emerald,  Captain  Otis  Reynolds,  1834. 

The  St.  Peters,  Captain  James  Throckmorton,  1834. 

The  Pavilion,  Captain  William  Phelps,  1834. 

The  Dubuque,  Captain  James  M.  Cole,  1836. 

The  Heroine,  Captain  Smith  Harris,  1836. 

The  Irene,  Captain  Atchison,  1836. 

The  Gypsy,  Captain  O.  Reynolds,  1836. 

The  Fulton,  Captain  Smith,  1836. 

The  Quincy,  Captain  Cameron,  1836. 

The  Burlington,  Captain  Throckmortorj,  1836. 

The  Adventure,  Captain  Van  Houghton,  1836. 

The  Brazil,  Captain  Smith,  1836. 

The  Omega,  Captain  LafFerty,  1836. 

The  lone,  Captain  Atchison,  1836. 

The  Glaucus,  Captain  Atchison,  1836. 

The  Chippewa,  Captain  Throckmorton,  1836. 


118     ' 

The  Malta,  Captain  Gorman,  1836. 

The  Monsoon,  Captain  Pierce,  1836. 

The  Rosalie,  Captain  Littleton,  Captain  Cameron,  1836. 

The  Frontier,  Captain  Harris,  1836. 

The  Otter,  Captain  Harris,  1839. 

The  Lamartine,  Captain  Harris,  1837. 

The  Palmyra,  Captain  Cole,  1836  (sunk  same  year). 

Now  stopping  substantially  with  the  end  of  the  year  1836,  and 
looking  back  in  memory  at  what  might  be  called  the  "good  old 
days"  of  steamboating  on  the  Mississippi,  we  are  moved  to  say 
a  word  or  two  about  it.  As  a  general  proposition,  we  may  say, 
that  the  captain  was  a  man  amongst  men,  possessing  great 
energy,  carefulness  for  safety  of  the  boat  and  passengers.  To 
see  him  on  the  hurricane  deck  "between  the  chimneys,"  he 
seemed  the  genius  of  command.  He  had  but  seldom  time  to 
stand  and  talk  to  his  passengers — "greenhorns"  especially.  His 
berth  was  not  an  easy  one,  and  in  the  earlier  times  he  would 
sometimes  swear  a  little,  but  the  man  that  did  the  supposed  use- 
ful swearing  was  the  chief  mate.  Many  of  these  mates  in  time 
were  promoted  to  be  captains.  "Our  Army  in  Flanders" 
could  not  hold  a  candle  to  some  of  them  in  swearing.  The 
captains,  however,  were,  or  soon  became,  noted  for  their  polite 
and  dignified  bearing  when  presiding  at  the  dinner-table.  He 
generally  led  out  to  dinner  the  prettiest  woman  on  board.  The 
table  was  generally  spread  with  taste,  and  had  upon  it  every- 
thing good  to  eat  to  be  found  in  our  plentiful  valley.  Steamboat 
passengers  seemed  always  hungry,  and  it  was  deemed  very  im- 
portant to  get  a  seat  at  the  first  table.  The  men  without  the 
care  of  ladies  did  not  know  beforehand  how  many  of  the  gentle 
sex  were  back  in  the  ladies'  cabin,  and  made  no  calculations  in 
that  behalf.  They  drew  themselves  up  behind  the  chairs  and 
waited — generally  a  long  time.  At  last  a  rustle  of  silks  was 
heard,  and  the  impatient  row  of  hungry  men  are  astounded  to 
see  a  long  line  of  men  and  women,  the  captain  at  their  head, 
advancing  down  each  side  of  the  long  table.  The  captain  takes 
the  head,  and  on  each  side  the  prettiest  women;  then  on  they 
come.  You  know  we  western  fellows  never  think  of  taking  a 
seat  which  a  lady  wants,  and  her  escort  shares  in  the  courtesy; 
but  on  they  came,  knocking  down  the  men  like  nine-pins,  until 
all  are  seated.  Then  the  bell  is  rung  and1  all  who  can  may  sit 
down,  but  ol  that  rank  and  file,  who  had  so  long  waited  in  posi- 
tion, not  half  of  them  can  be  seated  at  the  first  table.  We  may 


119 

in  conclusion  say  that  there  never  seemed  any  scarcity  at  the 
second,  or  even  third  table.  Still  we  believe  that  there  is  seldom 
anything  that  occurs  that  more  tries  the  gallantry  of  most  men, 
than  to  be  thus  knocked  down  at  table,  even  by  a  woman.  Upon 
the  subject  of  swearing  captains  and  mates,  we  remark,  that  after 
about  1838  one  could  seldom  hear  an  oath  from  either;  even  the 
mates  quit  cursing  the  men  and  the  .whole  atmosphere  of  the 
boat  was  free  from  "brimstone."  The  first  steamboat  named 
in  honor  of  our  City  of  Quincy  was  the  one  built  or  commanded 
by  Captain  Cameron,  the  boat  making  her  first  appearance  here 
in  the  spring  of  1836.  I  believe  on  her  first  trip  up  she  ran  into 
and  nearly  butted  down  the  celebrated  old  log  warehouse,  which 
was  once  the  scene  of  Ned  Pearson's  ducking  match,  and  in 
which  old  Bennett  made  him  also  take  water.  The  first  steam- 
boat Quincy  was  an  excellent  one,  and  Cameron  a  favorite  cap- 
tain. On  her  second  trip  up,  the  young  people  made  up  a 
pleasure  party  to  go  on  her  to  Warsaw  and  back.  I  remember 
that  the  river  was  high,  and  that  in  going  up  she  passed  be- 
tween the  towhead  and  the  main  island — a  thing  which  can  not 
be  done  now.  There  was  quite  a  large  party  on  the  boat,  who 
after  reaching  Warsaw,  went  ashore  and  wandered  up  to  the 
old  fort,  but  it  was  chilly  and  disagreeable  on  shore,  and  all  soon 
returned  to  the  comfortable  cabin  on  the  boat,  which  after  a 
short  time  started  on  her  return  trip.  When  about  half  way 
down,  whilst  standing  in  the  main  cabin  with  a  lady,  our  atten- 
tion was  suddenly  attracted  by  a  stamping  and  tramping  noise 
on  the  hurricane  deck  over  our  heads,  and  on  looking  up  we 
saw  a  man's  leg  violently  thrust  through  the  skylight,  followed 
by  a  shower  of  broken  glass  upon  our  heads.  The  lady  screamed 
a  little  and  asked  what  that  was,  to  which  I  replied  that  it  looked 

like  Sam  L 's  leg,  because  I  knew  he  was  very  bow-legged. 

I  forgot  to  call  it  Sam's  limb,  you  know,  as  in  those  days  it  was 
not  considered  vulgar  to  call  a  man's  leg,  his  leg,  instead  of  his 
limb;  when  we  spoke  of  a  limb  we  meant  the  limb  of  a  tree, 
you  know.  I  soon  found  out  that  Matthew  Bayne  and  Sam  had 
been  engaged  in  a  little  fight  up  there,  and  before  it  ended  they 
were  separated,  as  it  was  feared  one  or  the  other  or  both  might 
fall  overboard.  These  two  young  men  were  both  Southerners, 
and  both  entirely  reputable  and  not  habitually  quarrelsome.  But 
in  those  days,  as  now,  when  a  young  fellow  gets  aboard  of  him- 
self, say  four  finger-breadths  of  Bourbon,  he  no  longer  belongs 
to  the  peace  society,  at  least  till  he  gets  sober.  When  the  boat 


120 

landed  the  belligerents  went  ashore,  stripped  and  fought  it  out. 
Just  as  we  were  walking  the  plank  off  the  boat,  with  a  lady  on 
my  arm,  the  fight  had  already  ended,  and  one  of  the  combatants 
was  in  full  sight,  as  bloody  as  a  butcher.  At  this  sight  the  lady 
made  another  little  scream,  and  came  near  falling  into  the  river, 
but  the  scare  soon  passed,  and  we  arrived  after  awhile  safely  at 
the  top  of  the  hill.  Of  all  that  goodly  company  upon  that  first 
pleasure  trip  upon  the  old  Quincy  few  now  are  living.  I  re- 
member only  three  or  four  besides  myself.  I  hope  my  readers 
will  not  form  any  very  bad  opinion  of  our  party  and  the  state  of 
our  society  in  1836  from  this  incident  of  the  battle  between  two 
young  men.  If  I  am  not  mistaken  such  things  occur  very  fre- 
quently in  these  days — even  down  East. 

We  find  among  our  memoranda,  in  the  hand-writing  of  Judge 
Lott,  and  relating  to  our  early  preachers,  clergymen  and  priests, 
the  following: 

EPISCOPAL. 

Rev.  John  Selwood,  came  1837. 

Rev.  James  Young  came  October  i,  1837. 

Rev.  George  P.  Giddings  came  April  i,  1841. 

METHODIST. 

Mr.  Hadley  came  in  1835. 
Rev.  Peter  Boren  came  in  1835. 
Rev.  John  Atkinson  (local)  next. 
Rev.  William  H.  Window  came  in  1838. 
Rev.  Chauncey  Hobart  came  in  1840. 

Rev.  Jonathan  Stamper  and  Rev.  Richard  Haney  came 
December  2,  1842. 

Rev.  William  J.  Rutledge  came  in  1845. 
Rev.  John  P.  Richmond  came  December  4,  1846. 
Rev.  John  Van  Cleve,  came  November  i,  1847. 
Rev.  George  Rutledge  came  in  1846. 
Rev.  Ludwig  Jacoby  (German). 

PRESBYTERIAN. 

Rev.  I.  Porter  first  in  1828. 

Rev.  J.  J.  Marks  came  March  i,  1840. 

Dr.  Blatchford  (temporarily). 

BAPTIST. 

Rev.  Ezra  Fisher  came  December  5,  1835. 
Rev.  Spencer  Carr  came  December  7,  1839. 
Rev.  Edwin  C.  Brown  came  January  24,  1840. 


121 

Rev.  S.  G.  Parr  came  November  i,  1845. 
Rev.  Peter  Clay  (brother  of  Henry  Clay)  came  October  12, 
1847. 

ROMAN  CATHOLIC. 

Rev.  Augustus  Brick widdie  (German)  came  in  August,  1837, 
Rev.  Hilary  Tucker  came  later. 
Rev.  Francis  Derwin  came  in  1847. 

CONGREGATIONALISM 

Rev.  Asa  Turner,  Jr.,  came  December  4,  1830. 
Rev.  Charles  S.  Renshaw  came  in  June,  1838. 
Rev.  David  Nelson  (temporary)  came  in  1839. 
Rev.  Moses  Hunter  (temporary)  came  in  1839. 
Rev.  William  Beardsley  (temporary)  came  in  1839. 
Rev.  Horatio  Foote  came  in  February,  1840. 
Rev.  Rollin  Mears  came  July  i,  1847. 

GERMAN  LUTHERAN. 

Rev.  Mr.  Gumbel  came  in  March,  1838. 
Rev.  E.  L.  Daubert  came  in  May,  1840. 
Rev.  W.  Drude  came  in  November,  1841. 
Rev.  W.  Bauer  came  in  August,  1843. 
Rev.  F.  Christopher  Young  came  in  May,  1845. 
UNITARIAN. 

Rev.  George  Moore  came  in  1841  or  1842. 

Rev. De  Lange,  his  successor. 

Of  the  religion  ot  Quincy  we  can  not  escape  the  obligation 
resting  upon  us  as  an  impartial  historian  to  say  something.  In 
a  spirit  of  modesty  we  might  say  "we  have  none  to  speak  of," 
as  was  said  by  a  very  distinguished  bishop  of  the  church  in  New 
England,  when,  upon  an  occasion  a  person  seemed  to  cross- 
examine  and  question  him  upon  that  subject  Our  people  have 
been  and  are,  in  their  individual  religious  notions,  as  diverse  as 
the  stars  that  flitter  in  the  heavens,  and  yet  they  may  each  derive 
their  splendor  from  the  same  great  Fountain  of  Light.  The  de- 
scendants of  Abraham  still  stand  by  Moses  and  the  prophets, 
and  in  theory  worship  Jehovah  in  His  Ten  Commandments. 
The  Israelites  may  still  expect  the  great  Messiah.  The  Chris- 
tian, while  he  accepts  the  "faith  of  Moses,"  believes  that  even 
one  greater  than  Moses  has  already  come.  The  obligations  of 
the  commandments  are  accepted  by  all.  He  reads  history  to 
little  advantage  who  does  not  feel  afraid  of  his  own  infallibility, 


122 

who  would  at  least  desire  the  power  to  persecute.  Every  year 
that  has  passed  since  I  have  resided  here  has  weakened  the  dis- 
position in  men  to  foster  the  spirit  of  persecution.  Perhaps  we 
don't  believe  as  much  as  we  used  to  think  we  did,  yet  we  feel 
sure  that  we  are  better  than  we  should  be  if  the  old  time  cen- 
turies could  fasten  upon  us  again  their  conscientious  convictions 
that  we  ought  to  burn  some  people  to  save  the  souls  of  others.  I 
shall  in  these  pages  attempt  to  give  some  short  sketches  of  our 
churches — edifices,  at  least.  They  are  visible  objects. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


SOME    OLD    STORIES,    ANECDOTES    AND    INCIDENTS — SOME 
EARLY  PREACHERS,  &c. 


JBOUT  the  year  1828  or  9,  date  not  material,  one  day 
in  early  spring  when  the  Mississippi  River  was  breaking 
up  with  floating  ice,  and  of  course  the  water  very  cold,  a  party 
of  jolly  fellows  had  collected  in  the  old  log  warehouse  and  store 
upon  the  edge  of  the  water,  near  the  foot  ot  Vermont  street, 
occupied  by  Edward  L.  Pearson.  Ned  had  his  jolly  days  in 
those  times,  and  upon  this  particular  day  there  were  gathered  in 
the  store  some  six  or  eight  men,  and  with  them  old  Bennett,  the 
same  that  was  hung  in  December,  1834,  f°r  tne  murder  of 
Baker.  The  building  was  used  at  first  as  a  warehouse,  and  its 
west  door  opened  upon  the  river,  the  water,  at  the  date  of  this 
story,  being  nearly  up  to  the  sill  of  the  back  door,  and  a  few 
feet  west  of  the  door  must  have  been  eight  or  ten  feet  deep. 
They  were  all  drinking  and  carousing  a  good  deal,  when  Pearson 
suddenly  closed  and  locked  the  front  or  east  door,  then  seizing 
Bennett's  old  long  gun,  which  he  had  placed  in  a  corner,  the 
same  he  shot  Baker  with  afterwards,  every  man  was  ordered  by 
Pearson  to  jump  out  into  the  river.  They  were  afraid  to  dis- 
obey, for  Ned  was  crazy  drunk  and  swore  he  would  shoot  every 
man  that  did  not  jump.  Every  one  took  the  plunge,  as  Pearson 
thought,  but  old  Bennett  had  hid  himself  out  of  sight  in  a  corner 
or  behind  some  boxes  or  barrels,  and  was  not  observed  by 
Pearson,  who,  after,  as  he  supposed,  the  last  man  had  plunged 
out,  set  down  the  gun  in  its  corner  and  shouted  and  laughed  and 
rolled  at  the  fun  of  the  thing.  Old  Bennett  took  advantage  ot 
the  position,  sprang  from  his  hiding  place,  seized  the  old  gun, 
cocked  it  and  said:  "Now,  Mr.  Pearson,  you  jump  out,  too." 


124 

Pearson  knew  Bennett  too  well  to  refuse,  and  in  he  went  after 
the  rest.  Some  of  the  party  were  so  mad  that  they  marched 
straight  home,  but  did  not  like  to  tell  how  they  became  so  wet. 
Others  crowded  back  into  the  store  to  dry  themselves  and  drink 
hot  whisky  stew.  Bennett  was  the  hero,  the  driest  and  the 
happiest  of  the  crowd. 

MY  FIRST  CRIMINAL  CASE. 

I  was  first  commissioned  Justice  of  the  Peace  November  19, 
1836.     The  Justices  here  then   were  Joseph  T.  Holmes   and 
Robert  R.  Williams,  besides  myself.     It  appears  that  not  long 
after  I  had  been  so  commissioned,  probably   in  December  or 
January  after,  a  Mr.  Williams,  I  think  the  same  already  men- 
tioned as  having  been  in  Missouri,  went  before  Mr.  Holmes  and 
swore  out  a  warrant  against  Colonel  Humphrey,  late  from  Vir- 
ginia.    Colonel  Humphrey,  I  believe,  was  a  relative,  probably  a 
brother-in-law,  of  Esquire  Richard,  of  Burton.      As  learned 
afterwards,  Colonel  Humphrey  had  left  Virginia  with  the  inten- 
tion of  settling  in  Missouri,  and  on  his  way  there  stopped  for  a 
short  time  with  Esquire  Richard.    He  had,  it  was  stated,  brough 
with  him  from  Virginia  two  or  more  negro  slaves,  boys,  I  believe. 
His  stay  at  Burton  was  necessarily  protracted  by  the  sudden  close 
of  the  Mississippi  River,  so  that  he  could  not  cross  with  the 
negro  boys.     For  many  years  prior  to  this  time  slave  holders 
with  their  slaves  from  the  South  had  been  in  the  habit  of  cross- 
ing Illinois  in  emigrating  to  Missouri.     It  appeared,  all  this  after 
the  trial,  as  rumor,  that  Colonel  Humphrey,  as  soon  as  the  con- 
dition of  the  river  permitted  him  to  cross,  took  the  boys  into 
Missouri  and  sold  them,  but  finally  concluded  to  settle  perma- 
nently near  Burton,  in  this  county.     Williams  had  in  his  com- 
plaint   charged    kidnapping   against    the    Colonel.       On    the 
examination,  which  was  held  before  R.  R.  Williams  and  myself, 
(Mr.  Holmes,  after  issuing  the  warrant,  preferring  not  to  try  it, 
but  to  send  it  to  the  writer,  who  requested  Mr.  Williams  to  sit 
with  him,)  there   was  literally  nothing   legally  proved  against 
Humphrey  beyond  mere  hearsay  evidence  and  some  hearsay 
statements  made  by  the  boys  to  Williams,  he  it  appears,  having 
met  them,  had  talked  with  them.     That  they  had  been  taken  to 
Missouri  at  all,  or  sold  there,  was  hearsay  only.     We  held  that 
the  testimony  was  not  sufficient  to  justify  us  in  holding  the  de- 
fendant to  bail;  that  before  we  could  do  that,  it  must  be  shown 
that  the  boys  were  taken  to  Missouri  out  of  the  State  against 
their  will,  and  that  we  should  be  informed  by  legal  evidence — 


125 

sufficient  facts ;  that  if  sufficient  facts,  or  any  facts  not  mere  rumor, 
should  come  to  the  knowledge  of  any  citizen,  they  might  appear 
before  the  next  grand  jury  of  the  county  and  give  all  such  evi- 
dence as  they  legally  could.  The  defendant  was  therefore 
discharged.  Thereupon  Jimmy  McQuoid,  who  was  present 
with  some  other  anti- Abolitionists,  felt  himself  fully  justified  in 
pummeling  Williams  upon  the  nose  with  his  fist,  making  the 
blood  spurt  out  in  a  stream.  The  Justices  tried  to  interfere,  and 
fined  McQuoid,  whose  fine  was  promptly  paid  b)*  the  crowd, 
and  poor  Williams  getting  out  of  the  office  had  to  run  for  his 
life,  with  a  gang  at  his  heels.  I  have  given  this  incident  to  lift 
the  curtain  upon  the  old  times,  when  an  Abolitionist  was  con- 
sidered by  the  masses  of  the  people  the  meanest  of  men. 

OLD  DADDY  PHELPS. 

Passing  along  through  a  number  of  years,  about,  before  and 
after  1838,  our  city  was  frequently  visited  by  old  man  Phelps. 
I  think  his  name  was  Joseph.  If  so,  there  were  very  few  men 
here  in  those  days  that  "knew  not  Joseph."  Mr.  Phelps  had  in 
his  younger  days  lived  somewhere  east  of  us,  probably  at  Cin- 
cinnati, and  had  been  extensively  engaged  in  business,  and  for  a 
time  was  full-handed  and  prosperous.  But  misfortune  came, 
not  singly,  but  in  troops,  with  troops  of  children,  and  in  quite  an 
early  day  they  all  came  to  Quincy,  or  its  immediate  neighbor- 
hood. Daddy  Phelps  was  peculiar  in  his  capacity  for  "holler- 
ing" and  making  a  big  noise  when  he  came  into  town,  generally 
bringing  a  small  load  of  green  wood  with  his  wagon  and  a  rather 
sorry  team  of  two  horses.  The  old  man  generally  drew  up  in 
front  of  a  grocery,  and  after  selling  his  wood  and  wetting  his 
whistle,  began  to  enlarge  and  make  himself  heard.  His 
rendezvous  was  on  the  north  side  of  the  square,  or  the  then  anti- 
Abolition  side,  whilst  the  south  side  Mr.  Phelps  called  the 
Abolition  side.  At  that  time  the  square  was  not  fenced,  and  the 
old  man,  after  he  got  pretty  full,  would  generally  march  out  into 
the  middle  of  this  public  ground  and  stand  and  curse,  shake  his 
fist  at  and  abuse  the  Abolitionists.  His  voice  could  be  heard 
all  over  the  town.  Remaining  in  town  until  night,  he  would 
start  for  home  in  a  great  hurry,  yelling  and  cavorting  at  every 
jump,  his  voice  could  be  heard  for  a  long  time,  until  the  increas- 
ing distance  gradually  hushed  it.  On  one  occasion  a  party  of 
citizens  from  the  south  side,  getting  tired  of  his  racket,  arrested 
him  for  disturbing  the  public  peace  and  brought  him  before  me, 
to  be  dealt  with  according  to  law.  Phelps  "hollered"  all  the 


126 

way  to  the  office,  and  as  he  was  shoved  in,  gave  the  loudest 
kind  of  a  yell  in  the  face  and  ears  of  the  Justice.  I  at  once  got 
out  of  the  magisterial  chair  and  said:  "What  is  the  matter? 
What  are  you  making  all  this  noise  about?  Sit  down.  Keep 
still."  At  this  the  old  fellow  straightened  himself  up,  yelling 
still  louder  than  ever.  After  a  while  I  got  him  sufficiently 
quieted  to  hear  from  his  accusers.  They  said:  "The  old  man 
was  disturbing  the  peace  by  loud  and  unusual  noises  and  threat- 
ening language,  and  we  thought  it  was  about  time  to  put  a  stop 
to  it  by  bringing  him  betore  a  Justice."  I  turned  to  our  statute, 
(our  town  then  having  no  ordinance  upon  the  subject  different 
from  the  State  law,)  and  on  examination  found  that  the  statute 
only  punished  the  offense  of  making  these  loud  and  unusual 
noises  in  the  night  time,  and  as  the  old  man  did  his  yelling  in  the 
daytime,  I  had  to  let  him  go,  but  took  occasion  to  say  to  him: 
"Now  you  see,  Mr.  Phelps,  if  you  make  any  more  of  those 
noises  and  threats  in  the  night  time,  I  will  get  you."  After  this 
the  old  man  never  made  noises  in  the  night  time,  at  least  until 
after  he  got  out  of  town,  but  the  arrest  had  the  effect  of  mainly 
breaking  up  the  old  man's  habit  of  going  out  into  the  square  and 
shaking  his  fist  at  and  denouncing  the  south  side.  Dr.  Nichols, 
who  was  for  a  time  Mr.  Phelps'  physician,  told  me  the  following 
story  of  Daddy  Phelps:  The  old  man,  when  quite  old — largely 
over  seventy — was  taken  sick  with  bilious  or  typhoid  fever. 
The  doctor  had  attended  him  for  some  weeks,  and  concluded 
that  in  view  of  Mr.  Phelps'  advanced  age  and  the  long  continu- 
ance of  his  sickness,  during  which  his  strength  continually 
seemed  to  be  failing,  that  he  would  hardly  recover,  and  felt  it  his 
duty  to  say  that  if  his  patient  had  any  matters  which  he  might 
wish  to  arrange,  in  view  of  his  condition  and  probable  death,  he 
had  better  now  attend  to  them.  This  announcement  was  heard 
patiently,  but  the  old  lady,  Mrs.  Phelps,  acted  as  almost  any 
other  woman  would  have  acted  under  the  circumstances — she 
began  to  sob  and  cry,  and  with  her  clean  white  apron  to  wipe 
her  eyes.  She  said:  "Now,  Mr.  Phelps,  it  is  not  too  late  yet. 
Only  put  your  trust  in  Him  who  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the 
world.  You  have  had  a  hard  time  in  this  world — a  life  of  hard 
work  and  a  continual  struggle  to  live.  In  that  good  country 
where  you  may  go  there  will  be  no  more  hard  work,  no  more 
sorrow  and  trouble."  The  old  man,  appearing  to  lie  at  the 
portal  of  death,  answering  with  feeble  voice,  said:  "Yes!  Yes! 
I  know.  But  I  had  rather  stay  here  a  while  longer,  where  I  am 


127 

better  acquainted."  Mr.  Phelps  got  well  and  lived  for  a  number 
of  years  thereafter,  working  till  the  last.  He  was  an  honest 
man  all  his  life. 

BURTON  CAVE. 

About  the  year  1836  or  7  the  Burton  cave  was  discovered, 
and  for  a  time  nearly  all  the  young  people  of  Quincy  visited  it. 
The  cave  was  variously  described  as  a  quarter  of  a  mile  long, 
and  divided  into  several  compartments  or  rooms,  some  of  them 
extensive  and  all  at  first  ornamented  by  numerous  petrifactions 
or  stalactites.  In  order  to  see  it  all,  the  visitor  had  to  carry  a 
candle  in  one  hand,  whilst  in  passing  from  one  compartment  into 
another  they  had  to  crawl  on  their  hands  and  knees,  not  mind- 
ing the  mud.  In  those  days  we  had  no  theatres,  and  but  few 
other  local  sources  of  amusement.  A  ride  to  the  country  then, 
as  now,  was  delightful.  The  difficulties  of  doing  the  cave  made 
it  all  the  more  funny.  What  has  become  of  Burton  cave? 

From  1837  to  1839  an(^  1840,  the  writer  as  Justice  of  the 
Peace,  had  some  funny  trials  before  him,  even  for  a  "new  coun- 
try." I  remember  some  of  them — one  in  trespass-:  One  Ger- 
man, or  Dutchman,  as  we  called  them,  sued  another  for  injuring 
his  pig.  His  pig  pen,  situated  on  his  own  lot  adjoining  the  lot 
of  his  neighbor,  had  become  so  filthy  that  he  found  it  necessary 
to  tear  it  down,  releasing  the  pig,  which  for  a  time  ran  out  in 
the  lot  of  the  owner,  from  which  one  day  he  escaped  into  the  lot 
of  his  neighbor.  The  neighbor's  dog  attacked  and  scared  the 
pig,  and  it,  in  attempting  to  get  through  the  fence,  got  stuck  and 
could  not  get  out.  The  neighbor,  in  trying  to  release  the  ani- 
mal, pulled  his  tail  off.  This  was  the  trespass.  We  decided 
against  the  plaintiff. 

We  had  another  lawsuit  between  two  butchers.  The  plaintiff 
filed  a  long  account  against  the  defendant,  one  of  the  items  of 
which  was  "for  boardin'  a  bitch  ten  weeks,  at  two  dollars  per 
week,"  I  think  he  proved  it,  and  we  allowed  the  item. 

We  had  another  trial  between  two  old  Yankees — brothers-in- 
laws.  We  dismissed  this  suit.  The  account  charged  twenty- 
five  cents  for  every  dinner  the  defendant  had  eaten  at  the 
plaintiff's  house  for  three  years,  and  several  charges  of  ten  cents 
each  for  making  hasty  pudding  for  the  defendant.  These  men 
had  had  a  bitter  family  quarrel.  They  are  probably  both  dead. 
I  do  not  mention  their  names.  The  justices  put  a  stop  to  these 
little  trumped  up  items  and  charges  made  after  the  lapse  of  time, 
and  in  their  inception  never  intended  to  be  charged  at  all. 
But  I  had  one  trial  which  I  call 


128 

THE  WILDEST  IRISHMAN  WE  EVER  SAW. 

"He's  a  parjur  and  I'm  a  parjur;  he's  a  desarter  and  I'm  a 
desarter,  and  nayther  of  us  can  be  sworn."  Some  time  between 
1837  and  1840,  there  was  one  day  brought  in  by  the  constable 
before  us,  then  Justice  of  the  Peace  at  Quincy,  Illinois,  a  wild 
Irishman — the  wildest  I  ever  saw.  He  was  tall,  sinewy  and  as 
active  as  a  cat;  not  above  35  years  of  age;  head  round,  hard 
and  about  double  the  size  of  a  stout  monkey's,  and  he  either 
could  not  or  would  not  speak  a  word  of  English.  His  dis- 
jointed Irish  sounded  not  unlike  those  sounds  made  by  a  dull 
woodsaw  in  the  hands  of  a  vigorous  Freedman's  Bureau  darkey, 
just  learning  to  saw  hard  wood  "up  norf."  I  have  forgotten  the 
name  of  the  prisoner  or  of  the  witness,  and  am  glad  of  it.  The 
complaint  was  for  assault  and  battery,  and  no  doubt  the  battery 
was  a  very  cruel  one,  judging  from  an  inspection  of  the  parties. 
For  some  reason,  not  yet  explained,  the  constable  simply  brought 
in  the  prisoner  and  the  complaining  witness  and  left.  I  was  left  to 
guard  the  prisoner,  to  try  the  case  and  to  execute  the  sentence. 
Not  a  single  person  in  the  city,  outside  of  we  three,  seeming  to 
either  know  or  care  anything  about  the  case.  But  I  promptly 
took  up  the  matter  by  asking  the  complaining  witness  to  stand 
up  and  be  sworn.  He  slowly  came  forward  and  painfully  at- 
tempted to  raise  his  right  hand.  I  arose,  prepared  to  administer 
the  oath,  when,  with  a  sudden  bound,  the  prisoner  placed  him- 
self in  front  of  the  witness  and  between  him  and  the  court,  ex- 
claiming as  he  did  so:  "Stop!  stop!  your  honor.  Bejabers, 
he's  a  parjur  and  I'm  a  parjur;  and  nayther  of  us  can  be 
sworn."  An  exact  repetition  of  all  this  followed  a  number  of 
attempts  to  start  the  case.  At  the  end  of  each  attempt  and  in- 
terruption, the  prisoner  and  the  witness  would  each  quietly  take 
a  seat,  but  no  progress  could  be  made  in  the  trial.  After  a 
a  dozen  or  more  attempts,  an  old  magistrate  friend  of  ours  from 
the  country — 'Squire  D. — stopped  at  the  door,  and  witnessing 
the  obstreperous  conduct  of  our  Irish  prisoner,  came  in  and 
said:  '"Squire,  let  me  try  that  man."  I  readily  consented, 
and  placing  'Squire  D.  in  my  chair,  said  that  I  would  just  step 
outside  for  a  few  minutes,  and  begged  that  he  would  go  on  with 
the  case.  I,  however,  remained  within  hearing  distance,  and  soon 
heard  the  loud  voice,  accompanied  with  the  stamping  foot  of 
'Squire  D.,  commanding  the  prisoner  to  be  silent,  to  sit  down, 
and  to  keep  still — threatening  to  fine  the  prisoner  for  contempt  to 
the  utmost  extent  allowed  by  law — but  all  to  no  purpose,  as  I 


129 

still  heard  the  exclamation,  "Stop!  your  honor;  he's  a  parjur 
and  I'm  a  parjur,  and  nayther  of  us  can  be  sworn."  After 
allowing  our  old  friend  a  fair  chance,  I  quietly  walked  into  the 
office  again,  when  pur  friend  promptly  vacated  the  chair,  saying 
he  had  never  seen  or  heard  of  such  a  "cuss"  as  that.  I  had 
brought  back  to  the  office  no  constable,  none  being  found,  but 
did  bring  back  a  large  hickory  club,  heavy  enough  to  knock 
down  a  bull  with — at  least  an  Irish  one — and  said:  "Now,  Mr. 
prisoner,  I  want  you  to  explain  what  you  mean  by  these  inter- 
ruptions and  exclamations  that  'he's  a  parjur  and  you're  a 
parjur,  and  nayther  of  you  can  be  sworn.'  What  do  you  mean 
by  that?  "Your  honor,"  he  said,  "I  mane  that  he's  a  parjur  and 
I'm  a  parjur,  and  nayther  of  us  can  be  sworn.  And  that  he's  a  de- 
sarter  and  I'm  a  desarter ;  that  he's  a  parjur  and  I'm  a  parjur,  and 
nayther  of  us  can  be  sworn."  So  said  I :  "You  mean  that  you  are 
both  deserters  from  the  British  army,  and  that  in  your  desertion 
you  are  perjurers,  having  violated  your  oaths  of  allegiance  to 
the  Queen  of  England,  both  of  you,  and  therefore  neither  of  you 
can  be  sworn  as  a  witness  in  any  court."  "That's  it,  your 
honor,  that's  it;  he's  a  parjur  and  I'm  a  parjur;  he's  a  desarter 
and  I'm  a  desarter,  and  nayther  of  us  can  be  sworn."  "O, 
well,"  said  I,  "it  makes  no  difference  as  long  as  you  propose  to 
swear  against  each  other;  perhaps  as  against  any  one  else  the 
oath  of  this  witness  would  not  count  for  much,  but  he  is  a  good 
witness  as  against  you,  at  least.  Now,  I  must  have  no  more 
interruptions.  The  witness  must  be  sworn  and  allowed  to  tes- 
tify without  further  interruption,  and  if  you  spring  up  to  inter- 
rupt again,  'by  the  holy  jumping  jay-birds,'  I  will  knock  yon 
down  with  this  club."  This  ended  the  struggle,  the  witness 
was  sworn  and  testified  without  further  interruption.  It  was  a 
clear,  bad  case  against  the  prisoner,  and  I  fined  him  twenty 
dollars,  but  whilst  I  was  entering  up  the  judgment  and  issuing 
the  execution,  our  precious  constable  not  yet  having  returned, 
the  prisoner  took  leg  bail,  and,  for  aught  we  know,  is  running 
yet.  We  never  found  out  where  the  constable  had  hid  himself 
during  the  trial. 

Along  in  these  early  times  there  was  here  an  old  Irishman 
named  Thomas  Nowlan.  He  was  noted  for  being  very  witty, 
sarcastic  and  litigious,  always  having  a 'lawsuit  with  somebody. 
Pat  Coyne,  the  tailor,  and  Nowlan  one  day  had  a  suit  before 
the  writer,  and  at  the  trial  quite  a  number  of  Irishmen  were 
present,  either  as  witnesses  or  spectators.  The  office  was 

9 


130 

nearly  full  of  these  people,  and  for  a  time  all  had  to  sit  around 
waiting  for  some  of  the  alleged  important  witnesses.  I  used  to 
be  pretty  strict  about  order  in  court,  and  they  were  all  silent, 
but  as  I  had  not  yet  opened  the  case,  it  was  found  a  little  dull 
and  hard  for  the  people  to  keep  still.  Nowlan  was  the  plaintiff, 
I  believe,  and  was  sitting  on  one  side  of  the  room,  and  Coyne, 
the  defendant,  sat  opposite  to  the  plaintiff  on  the  other  side. 
There  was  an  Irishman  sitting  by  the  side  of  Coyne  named 
Jimmy — I  forget  his  other  name — when  suddenly  Nowlan  broke 
the  silence  by  saying  to  Jimmy,  "Don't  you  know  you  are  in 
danger?"  to  this  Jimmy  responded,  "No, -why?"  "Because 
you  have  bad  Coyne  about  you."  This  broke  the  stillness  by  a 
loud  laugh.  Coyne  looked  plagued  and  a  ripple  of  Irish  humor 
ran  round  the  room,  showing  that  every  man  took  in  the  pun. 
The  trial  soon  began  and  was  finished.  I  decided  against  Now- 
lan, I  believe,  as  he  was  nearly  always  beaten,  but  never  seemed 
to  mind  it.  The  costs  never  troubled  him  for  he  never  paid 
them. 

When  I  first  came  to  Quincy,  in  1834, 1  soon  found  here  the 
most  ready  and  cheerful  story-telling,  gossiping  lady  I  ever 
knew — Mrs.  Earl  Pierce,  wife  of  Sheriff  Pierce.  It  was  her 
habit,  up6n  first  acquaintance  with  new  comers,  to  tell  them  all 
about  the  early  settlers.  If  the  new  comer  was  from  the  South, 
her  stories  were  about  the  Yankees,  and  if  from  the  North, 
they  were  all  about  the  Southerners.  Quincy  and  this  part  of 
the  State  was  indebted  to  her  for  the  importation  of  that  great 
pest  of  our  door  yards,  the  dandelion,  "just  for  greens."  She 
used  to  say  that  the  Yankee  women,  when  feeling  quite  cordial 
towards  their  neighbors  of  their  own  sex,  when  at  the  end  of  a 
call  and  about  to  separate,  would  say:  "Now  do  come — come 
and  see  us.  Do  come,  stay  all  day,  and  bring  your  dinners." 
What  she  said  about  the  Southerners  I  do  not  know,  but  no 
doubt  equally  pungent.  She  had  a  gossiping  story  about  all. 
She  never  lacked  for  a  story  or  the  faculty  of  telling  it.  She 
finally  went  to  Texas  with  her  husband,  who  left  in  a  hurry.  If 
living  now,  she  must  be  over  80  years  of  age.  She  was  superbly 
jolly  and  lively  company,  with  no  real  malice  after  all. 

We  had  here  about  the  year  1836  or  7,  a  clergyman — an 
evangelical  churchman.  He  lived  with  his  brother  and  his  old 
mother,  the  brother  being  a  shoemaker.  They  were  English, 
and  for  a  time  lived  on  Hampshire  street,  near  Sixth.  The 
family  kept  a  pig  in  the  back  yard,  and  one  day  the  doors  of 


131 

their  dwelling  being  open,  Mr.  Pig  rushed  through  the  house 
and  into  the  street,  and  put  out  for  a  run.  The  preacher  had 
just  returned  from  church,  still  wearing  his  black  gown,  and  both 
he  and  the  shoemaker,  the  latter  having  on  his  leather  apron, 
gave  chase  after  the  pig;  but  not  till  after  a  long  race  did  they 
overtake  his  swineship,  capturing  him  and  returning  him  to  his 
quarters.  The  people  on  Hampshire  street  greatly  marveled  at 
the  spectacle.  This  family  afterwards  purchased  a  lot  near  the 
corner  of  Eighth  and  Hampshire  streets,  on  the  north  side  of 
Hampshire,  and  erected  upon  the  rear  or  north  end  of  the  lot  on 
the  alley  a  small  dwelling  house,  in  which  they  lived  for  some 
time.  But  this  was  not  all.  They  also  built  the  little  house  in 
front  on  the  street.  This  little  house  was  ten  feet  high  and  four 
feet  square.  At  that  time  the  photographers  had  not  arrived  in 
Quincy,  so  our  readers  must  do  without  the  picture. 

As  this  chapter  purports  to  tell  stories,  I  proceed  with  one 
showing  why  the  Universalists  never   got  a  good  foothold  in 
Quincy.     We  had  here  during  the  early  forties   a  few  hard- 
headed  men,  a  good  deal  inclined  to  a  sort  of  free-thinking  way 
— free  Protestants,  who  protested  more  than  they  believed  con- 
cerning religious  matters — such  men  as  John  P.  Robbins,  John 
Cleveland,  Sr.,  Captain  Robert  Evans,  Thaddeus  Monroe,  and 
some  others  juniors,  and  among  them  the  writer.     In  those  days 
there  came  to  Quincy  a  sort  of  missionary,  having  what  was 
then  to  most  of  us  a  new  gospel.     He  called  himself  a  Univer- 
salist,  and  could,  as  he  substantially  alleged,  "blow  hell  out  like 
a  candle,"  quoting  more  Scripture  than  any  preacher  we  had 
ever  heard.     A  sort  of  notice  was  given  out  that  upon  a  certain 
Sunday  this  Universalist  would  hold  forth  at  the  court  house. 
He  came  to  time,  and  met  a  small  but  rather  select  little  congre- 
gation of  anti-brimstone  people.     The  discourse  was  well  pre- 
pared, was  new  to  most  of  us,  and  well  delivered.     At  its  close 
he  announced  that  if  the  brethren  desired,  and  would  make  up 
a  suitable  provision  for  his  expenses,  &c.,  he  would  come  twice 
a  month  during  the  summer  and  preach  for  them.     Pretty  soon 
a  sufficient  sum  was  subscribed,  and  the  next  Sunday  he  ap- 
peared and  preached  again.    The  Sunday  before  Mr.  Robbins 
or  Mr.  Cleveland  took  him  home  and  entertained  him  till  he  left. 
Upon  this  second  visitation  I  invited  the  preacher  home  with  me. 
At  that  time  my  wife  was  a  Methodist,  and  did  not,  I  think,  feel 
very    cordial   towards  this  radical,  though   she   received   and 
treated  him  with  quiet  politeness.     Our  dinner   was  like  our 


132 

usual  Sunday  dinner,  mainly  a  cold  dinner — the  -piece  de  resist- 
ance, ii  that  is  the  French  of  it — but  anyhow  the  main  and  most 
substantial  dish  upon  the  table  was  one  of  Pomroy's  best  sugar 
cured  hams.  The  ham  had  been  boiled  whole  the  day  before 
and  a  little  of  it  cut  off  and  used  for  a  dinner  for  two,  but  it  was 
substantially  in  tact.  There  were  other  things  upon  the  table,  of 
course,  but  the  Universalist  addressed  himself  mainly  to  the  ham, 
saying  that  it  was  a  very  good  one,  and  adding  that  he  himself 
was  a  little  peculiar  in  his  eating:  that  he  did  it  all  at  dinner, 
and  usually  ate  but  once  a  day.  He,  however,  staid  with  us  for 
supper  and  breakfast  without  fatigue  in  his  exercise  as  a  trencher- 
man. To  tell  the  truth,  he  pretty  nearly  eat  at  dinner  the  ham, 
leaving  the  good  wife  a  little  anxious  about  the  coming  meals. 
The  next  time  he  came  here  Captain  Evans  took  him  home  with 
him,  and  his  table  exploits  there,  I  infer,  were  equally  remark- 
able. We  then  lived  near  Captain  Evans,  and  on  Monday  after 
the  preacher  had  been  at  his  house  Mrs.  Evans,  who  was  one  of 
the  best,  kindest  and  most  hospitable  women  in  the  town,  ran 
into  our  house.  She  said  it  was  not  polite,  she  knew,  to  enquire 
about  such  things,  but  she  would  like  Mrs.  Asbury  to  tell  her  if 
she  had  observed  anything  peculiar  in  the  preacher  when  he  was 
at  our  house.  At  this  Mrs.  Asbury  burst  out  laughing  and 
replied:  "Well,  now,  Mrs.  Evans,  since  you  mention  it,  tell  me 
all  about  it."  To  this  the  reply  was:  "Well,  I  declare,  I  never 
saw  a  man  eat  like  that  in  my  life."  Of  course  the  ladies  had  a 
hearty  laughing  spell  over  the  whole  matter.  But  the  next  time 
the  preacher  came  to  Quincy  he  did  not  get  an  invitation  to  din- 
ner from  any  quarter.  I  think  he  left  in  disgust  and  never  re- 
turned. I  never  heard  either  Mr.  Robbins  or  Mr.  Cleveland  say 
anything  about  the  eating  capacity  of  our  Universalist  preacher. 
He  had  written  a  book  embodying  his  theories,  and  probably  by 
this  time  had  covered  the  whole  ground,  and  did  not  want  to 
repeat  at  this  point  what  he  no  doubt  considered  sufficiently 
proved.  I  have  forgotten  the  name  of  the  preacher,  and  if  I 
remembered  it,  I  would  not  mention  it  here.  Every  one  of  the 
disciples  of  this  man  here  are  now  dead  but  myself,  and  long  ago 
I  have  left  the  faith  as  taught  by  him.  In  telling  this  story,  as 
I  have  sometimes  done  to  a  laughing  crowd  of  women,  I  have 
always  added  that  no  doubt  that  but  for  these  circumstances,  I 
should  myself  have  become  a  Universalist.  At  this  they  have 
laughed  still  more  heartily.  My  readers  may  know  now  as  a 
historical  fact  why  the  Universalist  never  took  root  among  us. 


133 

Somewhere  along  in  these  times  there  lived  here  a  Dutch- 
man by  the  name  of  Budke.  He  was  a  well-digger,  a  hard- 
working, poor  old  fellow,  frequently  in  law,  and  having  to  a 
great  extent  abandoned  his  old  beverage  of  beer,  fell  too  much 
under  the  influence  of  Bourbon.  One  day  Budke  being  the 
plaintiff,  had  a  lawsuit  before  'Squire  Thornton,  whose  office  at 
the  time  was  in  one  of  the  first  story  rooms  of  the  Quincy 
House.  On  the  trial  Budke  became  very  angry  at  one  of  the 
witnesses,  and  said  that  something  the  witness  testified  to  was 
a  "damn  lie."  The  justice  at  once  put  a  stop  to  that  sort  of 
language  by  fining  Budke  five  dollars  for  contempt.  The  trial 
went  on  and  the  case  on  the  merits  went  against  the  plaintiff. 
Budke  went  home  feeling  pretty  bad;  he  had  lost  his  case,  and 
besides  had  the  fine  standing  against  him.  After  studying  the 
matter  over  all  night  he  concluded  next  morning  to  go  to  the 
justice's  office  and  try  to  beg  off  from  the  fine.  It  so  happened 
that  standing  at  the  front  entrance  to  the  Quincy  House — not 
far  from  Thornton's  office,  he  spied  the  Hon.  Stephen  A. 
Douglas  with  Dr.  Nichols.  Budke  was  a  great  friend  of  Judge 
Douglas,  and  he  at  once  importuned  him  to  go  with  him  into 
the  office  and  try  to  get  the  'Squire  to  remit  the  fine.  The  Judge 
being  a  United  States  Senator,  did  not  feel  justified  in  complying 
with  the  request,  but  told  Budke  to  go  in  by  himself  and  apolo- 
gize to  the  magistrate.  He  slowly,  with  his  hat  in  his  hand, 
went  in  whilst  the  two  spectators  drew  near  the  door  to  hear 
what  was  said.  Budke  at  once  addressed  the  Justice  in  a  very 
respectful  and  humble  tone  of  voice,  saying:  "Mr.  'Squire,  I 
am  a  poor,  hardworking  feller,  have  not  much  money,  the  case 
went  against  me,  and  that  fine  and  the  cost  makes  it  pooty  hard ; 
can't  you  throw  off  that  fine  business?"  To  this  address  the 
magistrate  replied:  "Now,  Budke,  you  behaved  yourself  very 
badly.  Did  you  not  say  to  the  witness  whilst  he  was  testifying 
under  oath  that  he  told  a  'damn  lie?'  "  To  this  Budke  replied: 
"Now,  Mr.  'Squire,  I  am  a  poor  Dutchman  and  can  not  speak 
and  understand  much  good  English.  I  youst  thought  that  what 
I  said  to  that  witness  was  that  he  was  youst  a  clever  feller." 
This  brought  down  the  house  and  the  fine  was  remitted.  Poor 
Budke,  I  think,  was  afterwards  killed  in  a  well  which  he  was 
digging. 

It  was  in  1840,  I  think,  that  we  had  our  first  and  last  election 
riot.  In  connection  with  our  old  railroad  system  there  had  ar- 
rived in  this  part  of  the  country  a  large  number  of  people,  then 


134 

called  "railroad  Irish;"  not  many  of  the  rank  and  file  of  them 
permanently  remained  in  Quincy.  Of  the  so-called  riot  itself  I 
can  not  speak  from  personal  observation,  because  on  that  day  I 
had  gone  to  Lima  to  attend  the  election  up  there.  But  without 
the  mention  of  names,  most  of  the  actors  of  that  day  being  now 
dead,  or  gone  away,  I  may  say  from  what  I  heard  from  some 
oi  the  spectators,  there  was  for  a  time  a  good  deal  of  "music  in 
the  air."  It  appeared  then  as  now,  that  most  of  the  Irish  were 
Democrats,  whilst  there  were  then  a  good  many  of  the  Germans 
who  were  Whigs.  Exactly  how  and  where  the  row  first  began, 
I  do  not  know,  but  pretty  soon  the  rumor  ran  all  over  the  town 
that  the  Irish  were  after  the  Dutch.  Some  of  the  poor  Germans, 
who  were  greatly  in  the  minority,  were  beaten  and  stampeded. 
One  poor  fellow,  Barth,  the  butcher,  was  beaten  nearly  to  death, 
and  a  sort  of  Donnybrook  Fair  ensued.  Shillalys  were  wielded 
with  true  art,  and  most  people  felt  like  standing  aside  whenever 
they  saw  a  roaring  mass  of  these  people  coming  in  their  direction. 
One  distinguished  Democratic  politician  tried  to  quell  the  furore, 
and  in  the  midst  of  his  good  intentions  received  a  whack  with  a 
shillaly.  When  this  was  done  some  of  the  crowd  sang  out, 
"Let  him  alone ;  he's  one  of  our  frinds."  The  reply  to  this  was, 
"Well,  bejabers,  a  fwack  won't  hurt  him  anyhow."  Our  mayor 
was  notified  of  the  riot  and  straightway  called  out  the  militia. 
The  Quincy  Grays,  in  full  uniform,  armed  with  muskets,  soon 
appeared,  with  the  mayor  on  horseback  (riding  a  bobtailed 
pony).  This  soon  put  an  end  to  the  row.  Many  arrests  were 
made,  but  no  one  was  ever  convicted  for  anything  that  occurred 
that  day.  No  one  was  killed,  and  no  doubt  the  whole  disturb- 
ance was  the  result  of  too  much  whisky,  and  arose  without  any 
premeditation  or  plan  of  action.  A  few  days  ago,  one  of  the 
members  of  the  old  company  (the  Quincy  Grays)  told  me  that  just 
as  the  company  were  wheeling  around  the  corner  of  Fifth  and 
Hampshire  streets,  going  east,  he  discovered,  on  the  north  side  of 
Hampshire,  about  midway  of  the  block,  between  Fifth  and  Sixth 
street,  "Old  Slack,"  with  his  back  to  the  wall,  knocking  down 
people;  every  stroke  brought  down  a  man,  and  thus  as  many 
as  six  or  eight  had  fallen  under  his  sledge-hammer  strokes.  It 
appears,  as  I  understand  it,  that  Vanfleet,  a  blacksmith,  had 
been  pounded  by  the  rioters  somewhere  near,  and  had  run  to 
Slack  for  help.  He  was  shoved  into  a  sort  of  alley-way  between 
two  houses,  and  Slack  stood  near  to  guard  the  entrance.  The 
crowd  of  Irishmen  rushed  after  Vanfleet,  but  the  first  one 
was  knocked  down  by  Slack,  and  then  another,  and  another, 


135 

until  some  six  or  eight  had  fallen,  when  at  this  time  the  militia 
came  up  and  ended  the  contest.  The  exploits  of  the  old  Whig 
hero,  Lewis  Slack,  became  the  town  talk  for  days,  and  indeed 
are  not  yet  forgotten.  It  was  said  by  his  friends  that  Lewis 
Slack  could  whip  any  man,  Irishman,  or  otherwise.  The  fight 
had  been  hard,  however,  and  there  was  one  Irishman  particu- 
larly, who  thought  he  could  whip  Lewis,  and  would  like  to  try 
it;  so  next  day  he  hunted  for  Slack,  and  not  finding  him  outside, 
went  to  his  house  to  see  him ;  sending  in  his  name  with  a  request 
to  see  Mr.  Slack.  He  was  shown  into  a  bed-room.  The  fact 
was  the  hero  had  received  some  bruises  and  felt  pretty  sore,  and 
had  gone  to  bed.  When  the  man  came  in  he  saluted  Mr.  Slack 
in  a  friendly  tone  of  voice,  and  said:  "Sir,  I  understand  that 
you  say  you  can  whip  any  Irishman  in  the  world;  that  you 
knocked  down  a  crowd  of  them  yesterday.  I  am  considered  a 
a  pretty  good  man  myself,  and  I  called  to  see  if  you  would  like 
to  try  me."  To  this  Mr.  Slack  replied:  "No,  sir,  all  that  took 
place  yesterday  is  passed.  I  have  no  malice  against  any  one, 
and  wish  to  let  what  passed  yesterday  pass  forever.  I  don't 
want  to  fight  you  or  any  one  in  the  world — give  us  your  hand 
and  let  us  be  friends."  In  sketching  this  riot  I  am  like  old 
Lewis  Slack  in  feeling  to  let  the  first  election  riot  pass,  yet  the 
event  was  too  important  and  noted  to  permit  me  to  pass  it 
in  entire  silence.  As  Fontenell  said  about  the  breakfast,  still  it 
was  a  poor  breakfast;  so  still  it  was  a  poor  riot.  Lewis  Slack 
was  a  native  of  Delaware,  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  an  honest  and 
peaceable  man.  He  never  had  a  fight  on  his  own  account.  He 
died  only  a  few  years  ago,  and  he  was  the  hero  of  our  first  and 
last  election  riot. 

OF  OLD  TIME  PREACHERS  AND  CLERGY. 
In  this  chapter  of  anecdotes,  I  shall  speak  of  only  two  of  them. 
They  were  both,  when  living,  (one  of  them  is  dead)  men  for 
whom  I  have  entertained  the  highest  respect  and  regard.  I  al- 
most doubt  the  propriety  of  telling  a  story  about  either  of  them 
— simply  an  account  of  their  sacred  calling — still  I  think  the 
stories  won't  hurt  the  memory  of  the  dead,  or  the  feelings  of  the 
living.  The  Rev.  George  P.  Giddinge  came  here  about  April, 
1841,  or  forty  years  ago,  and  remained  here  for  over  twenty 
years  as  rector  of  St.  John's  Church,  now  St.  John's  Cathedral. 
He  was  a  most  scholarly  man,  thoroughly  and  stubbornly  hon- 
est, and  only  peculiar  in  his  intercourse  with  people  by  reason 
of  his  deafness ;  dignified  in  his  demeanor,  yet  acutely  sensitive 


136 

to  fun  and  true  wit.  He  was  a  most  eloquent  preacher  and 
one  of  the  best  writers  of  current  sermons  I  ever  knew;  precise 
and  exact  in  language,  he  seldom  met  with  a  slip  of  the  tongue, 
but  one  day  from  the  chancel  he  announced  to  his  astonished 
hearers  that  at  the  afternoon  service  that  day  the  sacrament  of 
circumcision  would  take  place.  The  word  was  scarcely  uttered 
when  he  discovered  the  lapsus  lingua,  and  in  a  hurried  voice 
said  the  sacrament  of  baptism.  This  was  the  only  joke  we  ever 
had  on  Father  Giddinge,  and  none  of  us  ever  ventured  to  rally 
him  about  it.  His  acute  sense  of  humor,  however,  made  it  im- 
possible for  him  to  keep  back  a  pretty  broad  smile  on  this  occa- 
sion. Father  Giddinge  removed  to  the  State  of  Missouri  some 
few  years  betore  the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion,  and  at  the 
time  of  this  event  he  resided  at  Palmyra,  in  charge  of  a  semi- 
nary of  learning.  The  people  of  that  place,  when  and  before  the 
war  broke  out,  were  divided  in  their  loyalty — mostly  divided  on 
one  side,  that  was  the  Southern  side.  Mr.  Giddinge  was  loyal 
to  the  old  flag  and  strongly  opposed  to  secession.  One  night 
in  the  early  period  of  the  troubles,  some  mischievous  boys  and 
young  men,  some  of  them,  it  is  alleged,  college  boys,  brought  a 
Confederate  flag,  and  climbing  upon  tne  seminary  building  of 
Father  Giddinge  fastened  it  there.  On  the  next  morning 
the  flag  was  discovered  waving  over  the  seminary.  The  sight 
of  it  there  created  in  the  proprietor  of  the  seminary  the  greatest 
excitement.  He  tried  to  find  out  who  put  it  there.  He  tried  to 
have  it  taken  down  by  some  one  able  to  reach  it,  but  failing  to 
get  any  one  to  take  down  this,  to  him,  new  and  hateful  flag,  he 
determined,  though  then  an  old  man,  to  take  it  down  himself, 
and  after  much  fatigue  and  excitement  he  pulled  it  down.  Not 
long  after,  probably  induced  by  the  worry,  excitement  and  fatigue 
of  getting  down  this  flag,  and  by  the  annoyance  of  the  occasion, 
a  spell  of  sickness  ensued  and  in  a  few  days  thereafter  he  died. 
His  remains  were  brought  to  this  place,  and  the  funeral  from  old 
St.  John's  was  largely  attended.  The  church  was  heavily  draped 
in  mourning  and  the  old  flag  was  spread  over  his  coffin  when 
carried  to  Woodland  Cemetery,  where  it  now  lies.  A  short  time 
before'  the  event  of  the  Confederate  flag  being  placed  upon 
the  seminary,  Mr.  Giddinge,  being  in  Quincy,  came  to  see  the 
writer,  and  before  he  left  handed  me  the  following  address  to  the 
old  flag,  which  he  had  written  only  a  few  days  before.  I  believe 
the  lines,  not  long  after  Mr.  Giddinge's  decease,  were  published 
in  the  Whig.  The  manuscript  is  now  before  me: 


137 

THE  STAR  SPANGLED  BANNER. 
Fling  it  out  to  the  breeze,  let  it  float  on  the  gale, 

The  flag  that  has  sheltered  the  free  and  the  brave; 
Let  no  star  in  its  galaxy  ever  grow  pale, 

But  undimmed  let  it  shine  as  unrent  let  it  wave. 
'Tis  no  lone  star  of  freedom  contending  with  right, 

No  feeble  palmetto,  exacting  and  vain, 
But  a  whole  constellation  with  glory  so  bright, 

It  should  palsy  the  arm  that  should  rend  it  in  twain. 

Fling  it  out  to  the  breeze,  let  it  float  on  the  gale, 

The  Star  Spangled  Banner,  the  flag  of  our  sires; 
Let  their  sons  cluster  round  it  when  foemen  assail, 

And  beneath  it  defend  both  their  altars  and  fires. 
United  yet  free,  but  united  in  truth, 

Let  the  banner  of  Union  still  over  us  wave, 
And  the  Star  Spangled  Banner  that  curtained  our  youth, 

When  we  sleep  in  the  dust,  let  it  shelter  our  grave. 

Mr.  Giddinge  was  not,  in  the  then  common  acceptance  of  the 
term,  an  Abolitionist.  I  believe  he  had  owned  or  purchased  a 
negro  woman  servant  at  the  time  or  after  his  removal  to  Pal- 
myra. He  had,  prior  to  coming  to  Quincy,  for  some  years  re- 
sided in  Kentucky. 

The  Rev.  Horatio  Foot,  Congregationalist,  was  and  still  is, 
as  we  write,  a  noted  man  and  an  old-time  preacher.  He  came 
to  Quincy  about  February,  1840,  when  he  became  pastor  of  the 
Congregational  Church;  after  some  years,  he  was  succeeded, 
I  think,  by  the  Rev.  Rollin  Mears,  and  not  long  after  a  second, 
or  another  Congregational  Church,  was  built  for  him.  He 
remained  in  the  harness  for  many  years  as  a  preacher,  and  only 
retired  from  the  charge  of  a  congregation  when  he  became  old. 
He  is  now,  I  believe,  near  four-score  years  of  age.  During 
his  earlier  years  here  he  was  a  noted  revivalist,  would  some- 
times preach  a  series  of  the  most  searching  and  systematic  ser- 
mons, running  through  many  consecutive  weeks — somewhat 
after  the  manner  of  the  celebrated  Finney,  of  the  East.  I  did 
not  hear  many  of  these  discourses,  but  our  old  friend  and  extra- 
ordinary story-teller  John  Martin  Holmes  would  sometimes  so 
closely  imitate^  Mr.  Foot's  tone  and  manner  of  speaking  as  to 
make  the  hearer,  if  the  voice  proceeded  from  another  room, 
feel  sure  that  it  was  the  voice  of  Mr.  Foot  himself,  besides  Mr. 
Holmes  possessed  a  most  remarkable  merr.ory  of  language,  and 
could  repeat  sometimes  nearly  all  the  sermon.  Mr.  Foot 
preached  a  series  of  sermons  upon  the  "Prodigal  Son,"  in  one 
of  which,  as  reported  by  John,  he  was  describing  our  modern 
prodigal  sons — taking  some  of  the  young  men  from  New 


138 

England,  who  had  been  educated  in  the  homes  of  piety  in  that 
country — taught  the  faith  of  their  fathers  by  pious  and  praying 
parents,  and  the  example  and  careful  training  of  God-iearing 
mothers.  These  young  men  frequently  came  out  to  the  great 
West  and  were  thrown  in  the  midst  of  all  sorts  of  wickedness 
and  folly,  soon  losing  their  religion,  and  apparently  forgetting 
the  pious  ways  and  lessons  of  the  old  homestead.  Some  of  them 
wandered  off  into  the  Rocky  Mountains,  falling  among  Indians 
and  thieves,  whilst  a  few  of  them  even  went  South  and  became 
slave-drivers  and  overseers  of  plantations.  Then  pausing,  he 
said  impressively,  "The  meanest  business  out  of  hell — except 
keeping  grocery."  On  one  occasion,  John  said,  whilst  describ- 
ing the  horrors  of  the  lost,  or  damned,  he  said  in  hell  "every 
finger  would  burn  like  a  candle."  In  those  days  this  figure  of 
speech,  though  very  strong,  was  only  remarkable  for  its  sup- 
posed aptness  to  the  idea  of  endless  punishment,  then  more 
generally  preached  and  dwelt  upon  than  at  present.  On  one 
occasion  Mr.  Foot  had  gone  to  Mendon  to  hold  a  series  of 
meetings,  and  on  his  return,  the  Sunday  after,  he  described  to 
his  hearers  the  success  and  deep  religious  work  which  had  gone 
on  at  Mendon  during  his  visit.  He  said  the  Lord  had  made 
bare  His  arm  in  many  conversions — in  fact  nearly  all  the  young 
people  of  Mendon  had  been  brought  in  and  converted ;  all  ex- 
cept one  young  man,  and  he  had  a  "dumb  devil."  It  appears 
that  this  young  man  could  not  be  made  to  talk  or  say  anything 
or  do  anything  about  religion,  but  remained  incorrigibly  dumb. 
In  this  sketch  we  lift  the  curtain  to  look  back  to  forty  years  ago. 
Mr.  Foot  is  still  living,  and  is  one  of  the  most  liberal  and  charita- 
ble of  men.  May  he  live  long  enough  to  read  this  sketch  and  to 
forgive  any  unintentional  misrepresentation.  As  they  say  in 
the  East,  "may  he  live  a  thousand  years."  Mr.  Foot,  like  Father 
Giddinge,  was  loyal,  and  when  our  first  soldiers  left  for  the  seat 
of  war  upon  that  first  Sunday  after  the  Rebels  had  fired  upon 
Fort  Sumpter,  his  exhortations,  prayers  and  bendictions  with 
others  were  ringing  in  their  ears. 

There  was  one  other  of  our  early  ministers,  but  concerning 
whom,  though  we  have  no  story  to  tell,  we  yet  wish  to  say  a  word 
about  him.  I  refer  to  the  Rev.  George  Moore,  the  first  Uni- 
tarian minister  settled  here.  Mr.  Moore  came  here  about  1840, 
and  was  a  close  follower  in  his  general  ideas  and  religious  con- 
victions of  Dr.  Channing.  He  was  never  married;  was  not  a 
great  preacher,  or  at  least  not  a  noisy  one ;  modest,  kindly  in 


139 

his  manners  and  disposition,  but  he  literally  went  about  doing- 
good.  I  believe  he  was  the  first  of  our  preachers  that  habitually 
visited  the  prisoners  in  jail,  going  there  every  week,  and  in 
some  instances,  every  day.  A  most  Christian  gentleman,  whose 
account  in  the  High  Court  of  Record  in  Heaven  no  doubt  will 
bear  inspection  by  the  Great  Master  Himself.  Those  who 
knew  him  well  did  not  soon  forget  him,  and  many  still  remem- 
ber him,  though  his  remains  have  slept  in  Woodland  Cemetery 
for  over  thirty-five  years. 

OLD  MAN  BARTLETT. 

Mr.  John  Bartlett,  from  Barbadoes,  came  to  Quincy  some 
forty  years  ago.  He  was  of  English  descent,  and,  like  all  colo- 
nial Englishmen,  was  more  intensely  English  than  the  natives  of 
England  proper  themselves.  He  brought  to  this  country  and  to 
Quincy  a  very  large  amount  of  ready  money — perhaps  more 
than  any  one  man  brought  here  betore  or  since.  His  peculiar 
disposition  and  somewhat  reserved  and  distant  bearing  soon  re- 
pelled and  kept  back  almost  every  really  disinterested  and  honest 
citizen.  This  kind  of  men  had  nothing  to  ask  of  Mr.  Bartlett 
and  kept  their  distance,  whilst  another  set  of  fellows,  some  of 
which  are  found  in  every  community,  people  who  are  willing  to 
play  toady  and  to  flatter,  soon,  by  pretended  friendship,  made 
their  way  into  the  old  man's  confidence  and  began  a  system  of 
cheating  and  robbery,  getting  from  him  large  sums  of  money 
upon  worthless  securities  and  soon  fleecing  him  of  more  than 
half  his  fortune.  Mr.  Bartlett  built  one  or  more  houses  here, 
one  that  is  now  occupied  as  the  Movement  Cure,  on  the  corner 
of  Sixth  and  Broadway — probably  the  best  built  house  in  the 
city.  He  also  went  into  merchandizing  and  finally  lost  every, 
thing,  dying  some  years  since  poor.  He  was  an  honest  and 
honorable  man,  but  his  very  peculiarly  stubborn  or  unbending 
disposition  frequently  brought  him  into  collisions  with  other 
men.  One  day  in  coming  from  his  residence  to  his  store — the 
day  after  a  deep  snow — he  found  on  the  sidewalk  along  which 
he  had  to  pass,  only  a  single  narrow  pathway  through  the 
snow,  and  as  he  trudged  along  with  an  umbrella  in  his  hand  he 
met  a  bulldog  and  the  dog's  owner — the  dog  was  ahead  of  his 
master.  The  meeting  in  this  narrow  path  made  it  necessary  for 
one  or  the  other,  the  dog  or  Mr.  Bartlett,  to  step  out  of  the 
path  in  the  deep  snow.  Mr.  Bartlett  stopped,  the  bulldog 
stopped,  but  neither  seemed  willing  to  step  aside  for  the  other 
to  pass.  The  old  man  at  length  punched  the  dog,  with  his  um- 


140 

brella,  at  which  his  owner  jumped  in  front  of  Mr.  Bartlett, 
cursed  him  for  striking  his  dog,  threatening  to  pound  him,  and 
shaking  his  fist  under  the  old  man's  nose.  For  this  Bartlett 
swore  out  a  warrant  against  the  man  for  assault,  and  the  de- 
fendant was  arrested,  taken  before  'Squire  Thornton,  and  fined, 
but  not  liking  the  decision  he  appealed  the  case  to  the  Circuit 
Court,  where  in  due  time  the  case  was  re-tried  and  Judge 
Douglas  held  that  there  had  been  no  assault  within  the  meaning 
of  the  statutes.  This  decision  made  the  complaining  witness  to 
say:  "What  sort  of  a  country  is  this?  An  old  man  is  made  to 
get  out  of  the  way  of  a  dog,  and  is  threatened  and  bullied  and 
then  made  to  pay  the  costs."  At  an  another  time  whilst  Mr. 
Bartlett  was  engaged  in  store-keeping  as  a  merchant,  one  day 
there  came  into  the  store  a  farmer  with  a  crock  of  honey  for 
sale.  Mr.  Bartlett  said  he  did  not  want  it,  did  not  think  it  was 
very  good  honey,  but  after  awhile  agreed  to  take  it  at  a  certain 
price  per  pound.  Afterwards,  when  asked  what  he  wanted  for 
it,  the  farmer  said  the  money.  In  those  days  almost  every  kind 
of  country  produce  purchased  in  the  stores  was  paid  for  in 
goods.  It  appeared  that  Bartlett,  when  he  said  he  would  take 
it,  had  expected  to  pay  for  the  honey  out  of  the  store,  and  soon 
a  lively  quarrel  sprung  up  about  it.  The  farmer  insisting  on  being 
paid  for  it  in  cash,  whilst  the  store-keeper  insisted  that  it  was 
to  be  paid  for  in  goods.  There  appearing  no  prospect  of  agree- 
ing, the  old  man  picked  up  the  crock  of  honey  and  pushed  it  at 
the  farmer,  telling  him  to  take  it  and  clear  out  of  the  store.  At 
this  point  the  farmer  snatched  the  crock  and  deliberately  hurled 
the  whole  thing  at  Bartlett's  head.  It  struck  him  on  his  breast 
and  the  crock  was  shivered  to  pieces,  whilst  the  honey  literally 
plastered  him  from  head  to  foot,  running  down  his  clothes 
to  the  floor.  The  farmer  did  not  stop  to  pick  up  the  pieces,  but 
left  the  store.  This  was  an  indignity,  thought  the  old  man,  sure 
enough,  and  with  the  honey  still  running  down  his  legs  he 
rushed  into  the  office  of  the  nearest  Justice  of  the  Peace,  which 
happened  to  be  the  office  of  the  writer.  I  could  not  help  but 
laugh  whilst  he  was  telling  the  story  and  demanding  a  warrant, 
and  pretty  soon,  when  he  began  to  think  of  the  ridiculous  side 
of  the  matter,  he  began  to  laugh  himself.  I  told  him  if  he  had 
any  trial  about  it  before  a  house  full  of  people,  he  would  probably 
never  hear  the  last  of  it,  and  advised  him  to  go  back  to  the  store 
and  try  to  have  his  clothes  cleaned,  and  if  the  next  day  he 
wanted  a  warrant,  I  would  write  his  complaint.  But  he  did  not 


141 

come  back,  and  the  story  did  not  circulate.  A  gentleman  who 
used  to  be  for  a  time  a  clerk  in  Mr.  Bartlett's  store  told  me  the 
following  story  about  Mr.  Bartlett  and  old  man  Limb.  Mr. 
Limb  was  an  Englishman,  fond  of  a  joke  and  occasionally  of 
something  good  to  drink,  and  he  very  frequently  went  into 
Bartlett's  store  when  he  came  to  town.  It  appears  that  on  one 
occasion  when  Limb  came  into  the  store  he  found  Mr.  Bartlett 
in  a  particularly  gloomy  and  dispirited  mood.  He  was  quite  a 
Church  of  England  religious  man,  and  for  a  time  and  at  times 
he  would  read  and  say  his  prayers  in  his  counting  room  with 
great  diligence.  Limb  coming  in  without  knocking  or  leave, 
found  Mr.  Bartlett  upon  his  knees  at  his  prayers,  and  this  inter- 
ruption caused  him  to  rise.  Limb,  in  his  hearty  English  way, 
said:  "How  are  you,  Mr.  Bartlett?  I  hope  you  are  well  this 
morning."  But  Mr.  Bartlett  did  not  respond  very  cheerfully; 
still,  after  a  moment  he  invited  Limb  to  sit  down,  and  then  there 
ensued  a  conversation  between  them  about  after  the  following 
fashion:  Limb — "I  hope,  Mr.  Bartlett,  you  are  having  no 
trouble.  You  must  excuse  me  for  coming  in  and  interrupting 
you  in  your  prayers;  I  meant  no  harm.  We  are  all  liable  to 
some  troubles,  but  we  must  bear  up  under  it,  you  know." 
During  this  speech  Limb  had  kept  his  eye  upon  a  certain  corner 
cupboard,  from  which  on  former  visits  Mr.  Bartlett  had  drawn 
out  a  stout  bottle  of  Bourbon  whisky,  glasses,  sugar,  &'c.,  &c. 
Mr.  Bartlett  took  the  hint,  and  and  soon  the  two  old  men  were 
mixing  their  toddies,  and  after  awhile  both  of  them  began  to  feel 
not  afraid  to  face  a  frowning  world.  A  good  deal  of  talk  back 
and  forth  ensued,  and  religion,  of  course,  was  discussed.  Mr. 
Limb  thought  that  too  much  religion  was  not  good  for  a  man, 
and  to  this  they  both  finally  agreed;  but  Bartlett  thought  that 
every  man  ought  to  have  some  religion.  Mr.  Limb  assented, 
and  the  discussion  was  closed  by  Mr.  Bartlett  saying:  "Yes! 
yes!  just  enough  religion  to  save  him.  Take  another  drink, 
Mr.  Limb.  I  am  glad  you  called  in." 


CHAPTER  XIII 


QUINCY  IN  TIMES  OF  WAR. 


jjF  that  abnormal  state  of  society  growing  out  of  war, 
we,  with  other  localities  upon  the  extreme  borders  of  the 
State,  have  had  our  full  share,  and  also  of  the  incidents  and  ex- 
citements necessarily  attached  to  the  clash  of  arms,  the  gather- 
ing, drafting,  mustering  and  marching  away  of  citizen  soldiers. 
Our  earliest  settlements  came  after  the  war  of  1812  with  Great 
Britain,  yet  we  have  had  among  us  a  number  of  the  soldiers  of 
that  war — Joel  Rice,  John  W.  McFadon,  John  McDade,  and 
Robert  Evans,  Sailor  and  others.  A  few  of  them  still  reside 
here.  Of  the  so-called  Black  Hawk  war  in  1832, 1  have  already 
briefly  written.  The  war  with  Mexico,  commencing  in  1846, 
was  more  serious,  our  State  sending  six  regiments,  and  from 
Quincy  parts  of  several  companies.  Of  those  who  became 
captains  of  companies  there  were  from  Quincy  Captains  Kelly, 
Morgan,  Prentiss  and  Lott,  the  latter  succeeding  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  company  of  Captan  Kelly,  who  was  killed  at 
Buena  Vista.  I  believe  there  are  now  two  or  more  of  Captain 
Kelly's  company  (privates)  still  living  here,  among  them  John 
Dewire  and  Jimmy  O'Connor,  both  disabled  in  the  war  and  both 
yet,  as  I  believe,  pensioners.  One  of  Captain  Morgan's  company 
also  resides  in  the  county.  The  first  of  our  dead  heroes  brought 
here  from  the  battle  field  was  Captain  Timothy  Kelly,  whose 
funeral  was  largely  attended  amid  the  greatest  excitement  and 
the  deepest  feeling.  His  remains  still  lie  in  the  old  Roman 
Catholic  cemetery  on  Maine  street. 

Of  that  greatest  of  modern  wars,  the  war  of  the  rebellion, 
I  might  write  very  much,  but  must  confine  myself  to  a  mere 
sketch  of  what  more  nearly  affected  our  own  locality,  only  re- 
ferring to  distant  events  which  hurled  Quincy,  with  all  other 
parts  of  our  State  and  country,  into  the  vortex  of  war. 

Abraham  Lincoln  was  inaugurated  President  of  the  United 
States  on  the  4th  of  March,  1861.  The  bombardment  of  Fort 


143 

Sumpter  was  begun  under  the  command  of  the  Rebel  General 
Beauregard  upon  the  I2th  of  April,  1861,  and  on  Sunday,  the 
I4th,  Major  Robert  Anderson,  of  the  First  artillery,  in  com- 
mand of  the  fort,  having  surrendered  on  the  I3th,  marched  out 
with  colors  flying,  drums  beating,  and  saluting  his  flag  with  fifty 
guns.  The  flag  was  hauled  down  and  the  Rebel  forces  took 
possession  of  the  fort.  On  the  T5th  of  April  President  Lincoln 
issued  his  proclamation  and  call  for  75,000  troops.  Thus  this 
great  war  of  the  rebellion  was  inaugurated.  Throughout  the 
entire  non-slave-holding  States  of  the  Union,  and  to  some  extent 
even  in  the  South,  the  greatest  excitement,  indignation  and  de- 
nunciation followed  the  indignity  to  the  "old  flag."  That  salute 
of  fifty  guns  to  the  flag,  as  it  was  about  to  come  down  from  the 
walls  of  Fort  Sumpter,  was  soon  answered  by  the  resounding 
thunders  of  ten  thousand  cannon  all  over  our  country.  It  is 
impossible  to  describe  the  feeling  which  pervaded  our  City  of 
Quincy,  even  at  midnight,  on  the  day  that  Fort  Sumpter  fell. 
But  a  few  days  passed  when  our  streets  resounded  to  the  march- 
ing tread  of  our  young  soldier  boys.  It  was  on  the  next  Sunday 
evening  after  the  surrender  of  Fort  Sumpter  that  over  two 
hundred  men  from  Quincy  alone  left  our  city  for,  to  them,  the 
unknown  fields  of  strife,  followed  by  the  benediction,  prayers 
and  tears  of  our  whole  people.  To  the  young  who  have  come 
upon  the  stage  of  life  since  that  2ist  day  of  April,  1861,  we  can 
convey  no  idea  of  the  event.  All  over  the  country,  north  and 
south,  there  was  the  gathering  of  men  for  the  coming  conflict. 
Away  down  South  in  Dixie,  as  in  loyal  Illinois,  mothers  parted 
from  their  sons  amid  tears  and  blessings.  Whatever  affecting 
scenes  were  presented  in  the  North,  had  their  counterpart  in  the 
South.  Well  might  mothers,  fathers,  brothers  and  sisters  weep 
over  the  events  of  the  hour.  Alas!  those  tears  were  but  the 
prelude  in  the  drama  of  the  years  of  mourning  and  sorrow 
which  followed.  It  is  often  said  that  no  true  man  who  went 
through  the  war  of  the  rebellion  upon  either  side  of  the  contest 
wishes  evermore  to  witness  another  such  struggle.  If  there  is 
now  one  man  in  our  country  who  says  "Let  us  renew  the  fight, 
let  us  have  another  war  of  sections,"  we  may  rest  assured  that 
that  man  was  himself  no  true  soldier.  He  may  have  said  "Go 
boys,"  but  did  not  say  "Come  boys." 

I  should  deem  it  no  injustice  to  others,  whose  names  cannot 
be  given,  to  publish  here  the  names  of  the  men,  our  first  soldiers 
in  the  war  of  the  rebellion,  who  left  Quincy  on  that  first  Sunday 
after  the  flag  came  down  at  Sumpter,  April  21,  1861,  Though 


144 

i 

their  enlistment  was  but  for  ninety  days,  some  of  them  died  at 
Cairo  and  never  returned.  After  the  term  of  ninety  days  ex- 
pired, most  of  them  re-enlisted  for  three  years,  or  during  the 
war.  But  as  every  name  of  every  officer  and  soldier  of  Illinois 
is  recorded  in  the  report  of  the  Adjutant  General  of  this  State, 
comprising  eight  large  volumes,  I  must  forego  the  pleasure  of 
recording  their  names  in  this  History  of  Quincy,  though  in  doing 
so  I  omit  to  mention  many  names  near  to  many  of  our  people. 
A  large  number  of  these,  our  first  soldiers,  are  now  dead. 
Nearly  twenty-one  years  have  come  and  gone  since. 

Of  the  great  union  meeting  held  here  on  Wednesday  night, 
April  17,  1861,  I  should  not  be  true  and  faithful  as  a  mere  his- 
torian if  I  omitted  to  say  a  word  upon  every  side.  The  Quincy 
Herald  of  the  i6th  contained  an  editorial  referring  to  the  Presi- 
dent's proclamation  of  the  i5th  calling  for  the  military  of  the 
several  States  (75,000  men).  To  this  article  a  reply  was  made 
by  Mr.  Browning  and  published  on  the  i8th,  the  day  after  the 
great  union  meeting.  The  Herald  article  says  of  the  procla- 
mation : 

It  is  extraordinary  because  it  calls  for  soldiers  in  a  manner,  and  to  carry 
out  the  enforcement  of  the  laws  by  a  process  unknown  to  the  constitution. 
The  constitution  of  the  United  States  requires  the  laws  to  be  executed  by 
courts  and  their  officers,  and  the  military  are  to  be  used  only  in  aid  of  the 
civil  authorities,  and  upon  their  demand.  Have  the  civil  authorities  of 
any  of  the  seceding  States  demanded  military  aid  ?  If  so,  then  the  Presi- 
dent may  call  for  troops.  But  if  not,  then,  most  clearly,  is  the  President 
trampling  down  the  constitution  of  the  country. 

I  deem  it  but  just  to  say  that  Mr.  Brooks  was  probably  not 
aware  of  the  law  of  Congress  of  1795,  quoted  by  Mr.  Brown- 
ing in  his  reply,  at  the  time  he  wrote  his  above  article.  He 
most  probably  had  in  his  mind  only  the  law  of  1792.  I  think 
that  not  one  man  in  ten  thousand  of  our  people  was  then 
acquainted  with  the  law.  It  was  found  here,  after  a  long  search, 
in  an  old  copy  of  the  United  States  statutes,  and  on  the  margin 
marked  obsolete.  Who  so  did  it,  or  why  so  marked,  I  do  not 
know.  As  it  is  worth  while  to  keep  in  mind  the  motives  and 
principles  which  moved  all  Quincy,  I  insert  the  legal  part  of  Mr. 
Browning's  reply,  as  follows: 

Now,  to  the  law,  and  the  testimony. 

In  1792  Congress  passed  a  law  upon  this  subject  containing,  among  others, 
this  provision  : 

"That  whenever  the  laws  of  the  United  States  shall  be  opposed,  or  the 
execution  thereof  obstructed,  in  any  State,  by  combinations  too  powerful 
to  be  suppressed  by  the  ordinary  course  of  judicial  proceedings,  or  by  the 
powers  vested  in  the  marshals  by  this  act,  the  same  being  notified  to  the 


145 

President  of  the  United  States,  by  an  Associate  Justice  or  the  District  Judge,  it 
shall  be  lawful  for  the  President  of  the  United  States  to  call  forth  the 
militia  of  such  States  to  suppress  such  combinations,  and  to  cause  the  laws 
to  be  duly  enforced.  And  if  the  militia  of  a  State,  where  such  combina- 
tions may  happen,  shall  refuse,  or  be  insufficient  to  suppress  the  same,  it 
shall  be  lawful  for  the  President,  if  the  Legislature  of  the  United  States  be 
not  in  session,  to  call  forth  and  employ  such  members  of  the  militia  of  any 
other  State  or  States  most  convenient  thereto,  as  may  be  necessary,  &c." 

Under  this  law  the  President  could  not  call  forth  the  militia  until  noti- 
fied of  the  necessity  of  doing  so  by  an  Associate  Justice  or  District  Judge. 
Then  he  had  first  to  call  for  the  militia  of  the  State  in  which  such  combi- 
nation existed ;  and,  in  the  event  of  their  refusal,  or  insufficiency,  he  might 
then,  but  not  till  then,  call  forth  the  militia  of  other  States ;  but  even  in 
that  case  he  was  restricted  to  the  militia  of  the  States  most  convenient  to 
the  State  in  which  the  combination  existed. 

If  this  were  now  the  law,  the  comments  of  the  editor  of  the  Herald 
would  be  just,  and  it  probably  is  the  law  he  had  in  his  mind  when  he  wrote 
his  article ;  but,  if  he  had  examined  the  law  for  himself  instead  of  taking, 
as  I  suppose  he  did,  the  statements  of  others  as  to  what  it  was,  he  could 
not  have  failed  to  discover  that,  by  its  own  limitation,  it  expired  in  some- 
thing less  than  three  years  after  its  passage,  and,  that  in  addition  to  this, 
it  was  expressly  repealed  on  the  28th  of  February,  1795. 

This  law,  I  apprehend,  was  found  wholly  inadequate  to  the  emergencies 
it  was  intended  to  meet ;  so  it  was,  as  above  stated,  repealed ;  and  on  the 
same  day  another  law  was  enacted,  entitled,  in  the  language  of  the  consti- 
tution, "the  act  to  provide  for  calling  forth  the  militia  to  execute  the  laws 
of  the  Union,  suppress  insurrections  and  repel  invasions." 

This  law,  which  is  still  in  force,  which  is  the  law  of  to-day,  as  it  was  the 
law  of  1795,  provides : 

"That  whenever  the  laws  of  the  United  States  shall  be  opposed,  or  the 
execution  thereof  obstructed,  in  any  State,  by  combinations  too  powerful 
to  be  suppressed  by  the  ordinary  course  of  judicial  proceedings,  or  by  the 
'  powers  vested  in  the  marshals  by  this  act,  it  shall  be  lawful  for  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  to  call  for  the  militia  of  such  State,  or  of  any  other 
State  or  States,  as  may  be  necessary  to  suppress  such  combinations,  and  to 
cause  the  laws  to  be  duly  executed. 

"That  whenever  it  may  be  necessary,  in  the  judgment  of  the  President, 
to  use  the  military  force  hereby  directed  to  be  called  forth,  the  President 
shall  forthwith,  by  proclamation,  command  such  insurgents  to  disperse, 
and  retire  peaceably  to  their  respective  abodes,  within  a  limited  time." 

It  will  be  perceived  that,  by  this  law,  the  power  is  vested  in  the  Presi- 
dent to  call  forth  the  militia  whenever,  in  his  judgment,  it  may  be  neces- 
sary to  suppress  insurrection,  and  that  he  has  not  to  await  the  demands  of 
a  civil  officer — that  he  is  not  required  to  call  for  the  militia  of  the  State  in 
which  the  combination  exists,  and  that  he  is  not  limited  in  his  call  to  the 
States  most  convenient  thereto,  but  may,  in  his  discretion,  take  the  range  of 
the  entire  Union. 

Can  it  be  denied  that  the  emergency  contemplated  by  the  law  had 
arisen  ?  Fort  Sumpter  was  established  and  garrisoned  by  law.  By  law  the 
President  is  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  armies  of  the  United  States,  and 
by  law  it  was  his  duty  to  furnish  the  garrison  with  all  necessary  supplies 

of  clothing,  provisions  and  munitions  of  war  to  enable  it  to  maintain  its 
1O 


146 

position.  This  he  undertook  peacefully,  and  in  strict  acordance  with  law, 
to  do,  and  was  forcibly  and  successfully  resisted  by  a  lawless  combination 
which  no  one  can  doubt  was  "too  powerful  to  be  suppressed  by  the  ordinary 
course  of  judicial  proceedings."  In  this  state  of  the  case  would  not  the 
President  have  been  recreant  to  his  most  sacred  duties,  and  unworthy  of 
the  high  station  he  occupies,  if  he  had  failed  to  act  with  promptness  and 
energy?  Bring  the  proclamation  to  the  test  of  the  constitution  and  laws, 
and  it  will  be  found  in  exact  harmony  with  them,  and  clearly  within  the 
range  of  the  President's  legitimate  power  and  sworn  duty. 

The  only  purpose  of  this  article  is  to  vindicate  the  President  from  a 
charge  of  usurpation,  which,  I  am  willing  to  believe,  was  inconsiderately 
and  not  maliciously  made,  but  which,  if  true,  ought  to  go  far  to  deter  good 
men  from  responding  to  the  call  made  upon  them  in  behalf  of  their  country 
in  this  hour  of  her  need.  For  such  a  country  and  such  a  government  as 
oura,  we  cannot  render  too  much  service  or  make  too  many  sacrifices ;  and 
it  is  to  be  hoped  that,  after  an  examination  of  the  constitution  and  laws, 
no  patriot's  conscience  will  upbraid  him  for  cheerful  and  enthusiastic  com- 
pliance with  the  demands  of  the  President's  proclamation. 

It  is  due  to  the  editor  of  the  Herald  that  I  should  say  that  the  italics  in 
his  article,  as  here  quoted,  are  my  own,  and  that  I  have  not  written  this 
with  the  intention  of  impeaching  his  patriotism,  but,  as  before  remarked, 
for  the  sole  purpose  of  vindicating  the  President  from  charges  which  I 
regard  as  unjust  and  injurious,  and  calculated  to  dampen  the  ardor  of  my 
fellow  citizens  in  the  sacred  cause  of  the  country  in  this  momentous  crisis 
of  her  history.  0.  H.  BROWNING. 

April  17,  1861. 

Speeches  were  made  by  Hon.  I.  N.  Morris,  Hon.  O.  H. 
Browning,  J.  Grimshaw,  B.  Arntzen  and  others,  irrespective  of 
party. 

THE  GREAT  UNION  MEETING. 

The  meeting  last  (Wednesday)'  evening  was  of  a  character  seldom  seen 
in  Quincy.  Men  of  every  party  were  there,  vieing  with  each  other  in  the 
expression  of  devotion  to  the  Union,  and  against  the  spirit  of  treason. 
The  court  house  speedily  became  too  small,  and  an  adjournment  was  made 
outside.  The  night  was  warm  and  beautiful,  and  though  out-door  speaking 
is  always  laborious,  Colonel  Morris,  from  the  stepa  of  the  court  house,  ad- 
dressed the  audience  with  a  success  which,  under  the  circumstances,  was 
remarkable.  The  "old  flag"  was  floating  in  the  moonlight  from  the  staff 
in  front,  and  the  numbers,  the  spirit,  the  enthusiasm,  and  the  utter  absence 
of  all  partizan  feeling,  betokened  an  influence  at  work  in  this  community 
with  which  it  will  not  do  for  traitors  to  trifle. 

Mr.  S.  P.  Delano  called  the  meeting  to  order  at  7:30  o'clock,  and  nomi- 
nated Charles  A.  Savage,  Esq.,  as  Chairman,  which  was  carried. 

On  motion  of  James  Woodruff,  the  following  gentlemen  were  unani- 
mously selected  as  Vice  Presidents  and  Secretaries : 

Vice  Presidents — D.  Stahl,  M.  D.,  Damion  Hauser,  Amos  Green,  E.  H. 
Buckley,  Thomas  Redmond,  T.Rogers,  John  Crockett,  John  C.  Cox,  Robert 
S.  Latham,  C.  Zimmerman,  M.  D. 

Secretaries — J.  G.  Rowland,  Philip  Snyder,  John  P.  Cadogan,  E.  C. 
Winter. 

Dr.  Stahl  was  called  for  from  all  parts  of  the  house.    He  said  he  was  out 


147 

for  the  first  time  in  three  weeks,  and  would  only  say  now  that  he  had 
sworn  twenty-five  years  ago  to  support  the  government  of  this  country,  and 
he  should  not  desert  it  now  in  its  hour  of  trial. 

Hon.  O.  H.  Browning  offered  for  the  consideration  of  the  meeting  the 
following  resolutions,  which  were  unanimously  adopted  : 

We,  the  people  of  Quincy,  and  of  the  County  of  Adams,  citizens,  native 
born  and  adopted,  of  the  United  States,  friends  of  law  and  order,  devoted 
in  heart  and  soul  to  the  Union  and  constitution  which  have  so  long  blessed 
and  prospered  us ;  proud  of  the  gallant  stars  and  stripes,  the  emblem  and 
the  guardian  of  civil  and  religious  liberty,  under  whose  protecting  folds  we 
have  so  long  reposed  in  peace  and  security,  and  determined  to  protect  and 
defend  that  venerated  banner  of  our  fathers  from  all  indignity  and  dis- 
honor, and  recognizing  no  distinctions  except  such  as  separate  patriots 
from  traitors,  do  hereby  unanimously  declare : 

1.  That  we  have  heard,  with  profound  pain  and  indignation,  of  the 
atrocious  assault  made  by  traitors  upon  the  flag  of  the  Union  at  Fort 
Sumpter,  and  that  the  treason  which  led  to  the  assault  must  be  chastised — 
the  indignity  offered  to  the  glorious  stars  and  stripes  must  be  avenged — the 
constitution  must  be  vindicated,  the  government  upheld,  and  the  reign  and 
rule  of  law  and  order  restored  in  all  our  borders ;  and  to  the  attainment 
of  these  ends  we  pledge  our  lives,  our  fortunes,  and  our  sacred  honor. 

2.  We  declare  that  the  contest  in  which  we  are  now  engaged,  involves 
the  continuance  of  constitutional  government,  and  civil  and  religious 
liberty  on  this  continent.    It  is  the  cause  of  our  country  and  of  humanity, 
and  not  the  cause  of  a  party  in  which  we  are  embarked,  and  it  is  the  duty 
of  every  good  citizen  and  patriot  to  co-operate,  to  the  fullest  extent  of  his 
ability,  with  the  administration  in  all  the  necessary  measures  it  may  adopt 
to  put  down  treason,  maintain  the  Union,  preserve  the  government,  and 
defend  the  honor  of  the  country. 

3.  We  heartily  approve  of  President  Lincoln's  proclamation,  calling 
forth  the  militia  to  put  down  unlawful  combinations  too  powerful  to  be 
suppressed  in  the  ordinary  way,  to  maintain  the  laws  and  integrity  of  the 
national  Union,  to  perpetuate  popular  government,  and  redress  wrongs 
long  enough  endured.    We  believe  it  to  be  entirely  within  the  scope  of  his 
powers,  as  President  under  the  constitution  and  laws  of  the  Union,  in  the 
strict  line  of  his  duty,  and  imperiously  demanded  by  the  exigencies  of  the 
times ;  and  now  and  here  ignoring  all  party  distinctions,  abjuring  all  party 
allegiance,  and  acknowledging  only  that  higher  and  nobler  fealty  which 
we  owe  to  the  country  and  the  constitution,  as  American  citizens,  we 
solemnly  pledge  ourselves  to  stand  by  and  sustain  the  government  in  all 
its  efforts  to  subdue  rebellion  and  prevent  anarchy,  to  re-establish  the  in- 
tegrity of  the  Union,  and  restore  peace,  harmony,  and  the  protection  of 
the  laws  to  our  distracted  country. 

The  laws  of  the  United  States  having  thus  been  violated  in 
the  capture  of  Fort  Sumpter,  at  the  cannon's  mouth,  by  men 
organized  and  fighting  under  a  new  and  strange  flag,  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  holding  the  Union  of  the  States  as  per- 
petual, called  for  troops  to  enforce  the  laws  and  to  uphold  the 
national  authority.  Quincy  and  Adams  County  were  soon  to 
have  their  full  share  in  the  bloody  contest  to  follow.  By  turning 


148 

to  that  faithful  and  invaluable  work  of  Adjutant  General  J.  N. 
Haynie,  in  eight  large  volumes,  and  published  by  authority  of 
our  State,  we  may  learn  that  Illinois  did  her  duty  well,  though 
she  failed,  no  doubt  without  intentional  injustice,  of  being  credited 
at  Washington  with  all  the  men  she  sent  into  the  war,  her 
patriotism  kept  her  from  loud  complaints.  General  Haynie, 
compiler  of  this  great  report,  is  now  dead,  and  but  few 
of  our  people  seem  to  remember  his  patient  labors  and  his 
patriotic  devotion  to  Illinois  and  our  whole  country  in  the  dark- 
est days  of  war.  In  Schedule  D  of  the  first  volume  of  this 
work  I  find  under  the  head  of  quotas  and  credits  that  Quincy 
and  Adams  County  are  credited  as  having  sent  into  the  war 
5,173  men.  The  population  of  the  county  was  stated  at  41,144 
souls.  Adams  County  sent  more  men  into  the  field  than  any 
other  county  of  the  State  excepting  Cook  and  LaSalle  Counties, 
both  exceeding  Adams  in  population.  The  enrollment  of  Adams 
County  under  the  enrollment  of  1864  of  those  liable  to  military 
service  was  8,475.  Under  a  revised  enrollment  of  January,  1865, 
it  stood  at  6,457.  The  enrollment  of  1864,  as  indeed  all  enroll- 
ments, had  to  be  made  under  instructions  from  the  War  Depart- 
ment to  the  enrolling  officers,  so  as  to  include  all  men  between 
the  ages  of  18  and  45  years.  No  discretion  was  allowed  to  the 
enrolling  officers;  they  were  to  enroll  all.  Thus  many  were 
enrolled  not  subject  to  draft,  and  who  upon  being  drafted  were 
found  exempt  under  the  rules  prescribed  for  their  examination 
by  the  surgeons.  But  the  enrollment  of  these  incompetent  men 
increased  our  quotas,  and  though  I  did  all  I  could,  under  orders, 
to  get  these  men  to  come  in  and  be  examined  by  the  surgeons 
before  our  final  revision  should  be  sent  to  Washington,  very  few 
of  them  came,  they  feeling  sure  that  their  unfitness  for  service 
would  appear  in  case  they  should  be  drafted.  No  one  officer  in 
the  Provost  Marshal's  office  had  the  right  to  strike  off  any  name 
from  the  enrollment  books.  It  could  only  be  done  after  exami- 
nation and  the  action  of  the  Board,  and  then  reported  to  the 
Provost  Marshal  General's  office.  Thus,  when  the  draft  came 
there  were  many  names  found  upon  our  rolls  of  men  who  had 
gone  away,  many  who  had  died,  and  some  even  who  were  in 
the  army  but  whose  absence  had  not  been  reported  to  us.  All 
new  names  were  added  to  the  list  of  those  claimed  to  be  liable 
to  draft,  whilst  few  were  or  could  be  stricken  oft"  here.  In  some 
of  the  sub-districts  in  our  district,  when  the  war  ended,  nearly 
every  able-bodied  man  had  volunteered  or  gone  away,  leaving 
scarcely  men  enough  to  fill  the  remaining  quota  of  the  district. 


Quincy  and  Adams  County  formed  one  of  the  five  counties  of 
the  then  Fourth  Congressional  district.  The  population  of  Adams 
County,  as  then  stated,  was  41,144;  that  of  Hancock  County, 
29,041;  that  of  Henderson,  9,499;  that  of  Mercer,  15,037;  and 
that  of  Rock  Island,  20,981 ;  total,  115,720.  The  average  of  pop- 
ulation of  these  five  counties  would  be  23,172.  Adams  sent 
into  the  war  5,173;  Hancock,  3,272;  Henderson,  1,330;  Mercer, 
1,620;  and  Rock  Island,  2,099;  total  from  the  Fourth  district, 
13,494.  If  five  counties,  with  an  average  population  of  23,142 
each,  sent  into  the  war  13,494  m^n,  how  many  should  the  whole 
State  have  sent,  the  whole  State  containing  102  counties?  The 
average  of  the  number  of  men  sent  from  each  county  of  the 
Fourth  district  was  a  fraction  over  2,698.  If  we  multiply  this 
by  102,  the  number  of  counties,  we  shall  produce  for  the  State 
282,176  men.  These  figures  and  statements  are  made  now,  not 
for  the  purpose  of  finding  fault  in  any  quarter.  No  doubt  that 
owing  to  the  locality  of  our  county  and  district  upon  the  borders 
of  two  States,  many  of  the  young  men  of  this  county  and  the 
district,  as  we  have  already  stated,  crossed  over  our  borders  to 
fight  under  the  same  old  flag  in  regiments  of  these  border  States. 
Some  of  them  were  afterwards  credited  to  us,  but  no  doubt 
many  of  them,  without  wrongful  intention  in  any  quarter,  were 
not  thus  credited. 

It  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  state  here  that  Illinois  is  cred- 
ited as  having  sent  into  the  war  (see  Schdule  D)  226,592  men, 
whose  names  are  recorded.  Besides  this  number,  many  of  our 
young  men  throughout  the  State,  in  the  earlier  stages  of  the  war, 
went  into  other  States  and  there  volunteered.  Illinois,  as  stated, 
received  credit  for  some  of  them,  but  no  doubt  many  of  them 
were  not  thus  credited  by  reason  of  the  omission,  sometimes 
accidentally,  of  the  volunteer  in  stating  his  residence  in  the  en- 
listment papers.  I  know  of  some  colored  men  from  Quincy  who 
were  mustered  into  one  or  more  Massachusetts  regiments.  The 
regiment  of  Colonel  John  A.  Bross,  the  Twenty-ninth  United 
States  colored  regiment,  was  mainly  raised  in  Quincy — 903  men. 
How  many  of  these  men  were  credited  to  Quincy?  Though  no 
doubt  some  of  them  were  so  credited,  I  do  not,  as  I  write  now, 
know.  The  regiment  of  Colonel  Bross  is  not  mentioned  in  our 
Illinois  regiments,  nor  is  the  regiment  of  985  men  of  Colonel  J. 
W.  Wilson  so  mentioned.  There  also  appears  in  the  Adjutant 
General's  report  the  names  of  Captain  John  Curtis,  ninety-one 
men,  that  of  Captain  Simon  G.  Stookey,  ninety  men,  and  Cap- 


150 

tain  James  Steele,  eighty-six  men.  If  we  carefully  study  the 
Adjutant  General's  report,  we  shall  be  convinced  that  his  re- 
capitulation at  the  end  of  his  Schedule  A  is  not  over  the  actual 
facts.  But  allowing  for  the  men  lost  to  our  State  in  the  matter 
of  credits,  Illinois  sent  into  the  war  as  many  as  240,000  men. 
The  recapitulation  is  as  follows: 

Infantry 185,941 

Cavalry 32,082 

Artillery '. 7,277 


225,300 

Now,  if  we  add  for  men  unavoidably  lost  to  us  in  the  matter  of 
credits,  and  including  excesses  in  districts,  we  shall,  we  think, 
make  up  14,700  more 14,700 


Thus  making  for  the  State 240,000 

It  is  proper  to  remark  that  the  Illinois  Legislature  convened 
in  special  session  April  23,  1861,  and  out  ot  respect  to  Illinois 
regiments  in  Mexico  provided  that  the  infantry  regiments  raised 
under  the  President's  proclamation  of  the  I5th  of  April,  1861, 
should  begin  with  the  number  seven.  The  law  also  provided 
for  the  election  of  a  Brigadier  General.  Hence  Benjamin  M. 
Prentiss,  of  Quincy,  became  the  first  Brigadier  General  of  volitn- 
teers,  though  by  the  ruling  of  the  War  Department  the  act  of 
Congress  only  gave  those  Brigadiers  appointed  by  the  President 
rank  from  the  date  of  their  appointment  by  him.  Prentiss 
having  been  at  first  commissioned  by  Governor  Yates,  did  not 
take  rank  until  afterwards  appointed  by  the  President. 

Quincy  and  Adams  County  had,  we  know,  men  and  officers, 
or  officers  alone,  in  the  following  regiments,  besides  some,  per- 
haps many,  not  within  our  observation,  namely:  Of  infantry, 
the  loth  regiment,  the  I4th,  i5th,  i6th,  ipth,  27th,  33d,  43d, 
5oth,  58th,  65th,  66th,  73d,  78th,  84th,  97th,  n8th,  upth,  i37th, 
I48th,  15151  and  I54th.  Of  cavalry  Quincy  and  Adams  County 
sent  one  full  company  at  least — Delano's,  afterwards  Moore's 
company  of  the  Second  regiment — and  also  Mactall's  company 
of  the  Third  regiment.  The  State  sent  into  the  field  seventeen 
regiments  of  cavalry.  As  Provost  Marshal  of  our  district,  I 
recruited  and  mustered  quite  a  large  number  of  men  for  cavalry 
regiments  in  the  field,  and  also  in  the  First  and  Second  regiments 
and  ten  batteries  of  artillery  raised  by  the  State  we  had  some 
men,  but  exactly  how  many  I  cannot  state  without  great  care  and 
patient  examination  of  records.  My  main  object  in  these  some- 
what statistical  statements  is  to  carry  the  minds  of  my  readers 


151 

back  to  the  times  of  war  in  Quincy.  In  this  connection  I  may 
state  that  Quincy  was  represented,  more  or  less,  in  every  army 
corps  of  the  nation,  either  in  the  regular  or  volunteer  service. 
There  could  scarcely  be  a  battle  of  any  magnitude  during  the 
war  but  our  people,  or  some  of  them,  felt  a  personal  interest  in 
its  results.  As  a  matter  of  course,  we  lived  in  a  state  of  painful 
excitement  and  anxiety,  and  when  the  end  came,  all  rejoiced. 
Many,  however,  knew  that  some  of  those  who  had  gone  forth 
to  fight  for  their  country  could  never  return. 

Some  eight  hundred  of  the  soldiers  of  Illinois  died  at  the 
Rebel  prison  at  Andersonville,  Georgia,  alone,  from  the  organi- 
zation of  the  prison  until  March  18,  1865.  Their  names  were 
copied  from  the  prison  records  by  John  H.  Goldsmith,  Sergeant 
Major  Fourteenth  Illinois  infantry  volunteers,  and  all  appear  in 
Schedule  N  of  the  Adjutant  General's  report,  volume  i,  be- 
ginning at  page  216.  Only  Wirtz  was  hanged  for  cruelty 
towards  these  poor  fellows,  whilst  the  great  secession  leader  and 
President  still  lives,  the  boldest,  hardest  and  most  cruel  leader  of 
revolt  since  Satan  fell  from  Heaven.  Milton  makes  the  great 
adversary  to  exclaim: 

What  though  the  field  be  lost? 
All  is  not  lost ;  the  unconquerable  will 
And  study  of  revenge,  immortal  hate, 
And  courage  never  to  submit  or  yield. 

Though  Jefferson  Davis  never  can  lead  another  revolt,  it  would 
still  be  pleasant  for  the  great  body  of  the  people  to  think  better 
of  him  than  they  do,  but  he  speaks  no  reconciling  word.  Of 
the  men  mentioned  in  this  Schedule  N  of  the  Adjutant  General's 
report,  one  belonged  to  the  Tenth  regiment,  thirty-three  to  the 
Sixteenth  regiment,  fourteen  to  the  Seventy-eighth  regiment, 
and  seven  to  the  Eighty-fourth  regiment — some  of  them  from 
Adams  County.  If  we  remember  that  Illinois  alone  had  800 
men  die  at  Andersonville  prison,  we  may  form  some  idea  of 
the  total  number  who  perished  there.  I  have  not  before  me  an 
exact  statement  of  that  total,  but  it  must  have  amounted  to 
many  thousands.  War  Department  records  show  the  full 
number. 

Though  our  city  and  county  had  their  full  share  of  horrors 
incident  to  and  resulting  from  the  great  war  of  the  rebellion,  we 
yet,  in  a  business  and  commercial  point,  were  exceedingly  pros- 
perous. Our  merchants,  mechanics  and  manufacturers  were  all 
busy.  In  the  matter  of  saddles,  harness  and  war  equipments 


152 

alone  to  the  amount  of  as  much  as  $250,000  at  least  was  fur- 
nished here  to  the  government,  and  though  some  of  our  manu- 
facturers, owing  to  delayed  payments  and  the  sudden  rise  in 
prices  of  material,  eventually  lost  money  under  their  contracts, 
yet  in  a  general  way  we  had  a  great  season  of  business  pros- 
perity during  the  war. 

Our  hospitals  for  sick  and  wounded  soldiers,  our  commissary 
and  Quartermaster's  department,  and  last,  though  not  least,  the 
headquarters  of  the  Provost-Marshal's  office  for  our  district,  all 
tended  to  keep  every  man  busy  and  anxious  in  the  discharge  of 
his  duties. 

It  may  be  proper  to  state  here  that  during  the  year  and  fifteen 
days  the  writer  held  the  office  of  Provost- Marshal  here,  there 
were  sent  into  the  war  from  these  headquarters,  of  volunteers, 
drafted  men  and  substitutes,  4,000  men.  There  were  sent  dur- 
ing the  services  of  my  predecessor,  of  volunteers  about  500  men. 
The  whole  number  of  men  credited  to  our  office,  including  de- 
serters from  other  States  and  from  our  own  State,  4,750  men,  or 
more  than  five  regiments. 

Indeed  Quincy  was  quite  a  metropolitan  or  chief  city  upon  the 
western  border  of  the  State,  and  has  then  and  since,  I  believe, 
laid  the  foundations  of  future  growth  and  prosperity.  I  might, 
with  propriety,  in  writing  this  book  go  into  a  good  many  bio- 
graphical sketches  of  some  of  our  most  prominent  officers  of  the 
war,  but  to  do  so  would  cause  me  to  exceed  my  limits,  and  so 
this  history  of  Quincy  must  it  seems  to  me,  be  "Hamlet"  with 
the  "Hamlets"  left  out,  except  so  far  as  the  said  "Hamlets"  are 
indissolubly  united  to  events  not  participated  in  by  a  whole  na- 
tion. 

I  should  deem  myself  greatly  remiss  and  at  fault  if  I  should 
not  here  say  a  few  words  concerning  the  women  of  Quincy  and 
the  county  during  the  war,  and  especially  their  two  great  socie- 
ties, "The  Needle  Pickets"  and  "The  Good  Samaritans."  These 
societies  had  a  laudable  rivalry  as  to  which  could  best  work, 
and  do  most  for  the  comfort  of  the  sick  and  wounded  soldiers  of 
the  nation.  I  think  the  total  of  their  contributions,  if  merely 
counted  at  their  money  value,  amounted  to  many  thousand  dol- 
lars. If  our  mothers  of  the  revolution  knew  how  to  minister  to 
the  wants  of  our  fathers  in  their  struggle  for  national  indepen- 
dence, the  wives  and  daughters  and  sisters  of  Quincy  also  knew 
and  felt  what  was  due  from  them  towards  those  fighting  for  the 
preservation  of  our  heritage  of  liberty.  We  are  proud  to  say 


153 

that  the  women  of  Quincy  were  not  one  whit  behind  the  best 
and  foremost  of  their  sex  anywhere  throughout  our  country  in 
their  patriotic  and  efficient  help. 

I  have  headed  this  chapter  "Quincy  in  Times  of  War,"  and 
have  but  too  briefly  spoken  of  several  of  our  wars  as  partici- 
pated in  by  us  and  close  it  with  a  brief  introductory  account  of 
the  Mormon  war  of  1846.  As  we  have  stated,  during  the  win- 
ter of  1837-8,  a  large  number  of  the  Mormon  people  upon  their 
•  expulsion  from  Missouri  arrived  at  Quincy.  There  was  much 
suffering  and  destitution  among  them,  including  women  and 
children.  Quincy  did  for  them  all  she  could  do  in  the  way  of 
relief  and  in  giving  employment  to  those  of  the  men  who  desired 
work.  The  first  humble  cottage  owned  by  the  writer  was  partly 
built  by  some  of  these  Mormons.  Not  long  after  the  first  body 
of  these  people  reached  here,  Joe  Smith  himself  with  Sydney 
Rigdon  and  others  of  their  leading  men,  came  here  also. 
Rigdon,  who  was  one  of  the  most  eloquent  men  of  his  day, 
preached  here  frequently,  and  always  to  large  audiences.  Smith 
kept  very  quiet  and  was  not  much  seen  in  public.  The  winter 
passed  in  quietness  and  the  Mormons  were  on  their  good  be- 
havior. Old  Daddy  Smith  and  his  aged  wife,  Joe  Smith's 
father  and  mother,  rented  the  house,  or  a  part  of  it,  situated  on 
the  northeast  corner  of  Sixth  and  Hampshire  streets,  and  set  up 
a  sort  of  museum  of  curiosities,  consisting  mainly  of  several 
mummies  from  Egypt.  The  old  lady  charged  ten  cents  admit- 
tance and  acted  as  exhibitor,  explaining  who  and  what  each  ob- 
ject really  was.  I  am  now  unable  to  accurately  give  even  the 
substance  of  these  explanations  by  the  old  lady,  but  in  substance 
they  amounted  to  an  assertion  that  one  or  more  of  the  mummies 
was  one  of  the  Pharoahs  or  kings  of  Egypt,  and  there  belonged 
to  him  some  hieroglyphics  or  writings  upon  papyrus,  which 
she  said  in  some  way  proved  the  truth  of  Mormonism  or  some- 
thing tending  in  that  direction.  The  show  did  not  seem  to  pay 
and  did  not  run  long  here.  However  uncanonical  and  doubtful 
Joe  Smith's  revelations  might  have  appeared  to  others,  his  old 
father  and  mother  no  doubt  believed  them  all. 

As  they  loved  him  he  seldom  could  try 

Too  much  their  great  faith  in  his  word, 
Whether  he  told  them  of  angels  that  fly, 
Or  of  voices  from  Heaven  he'd  heard. 

Not  long  after  their  arrival  in  Illinois,  the  Mormons  fixed  upon 
Nauvoo  as  a  permanent  residence  and  headquarters.  They  had 
numerous  outlying  settlements  in  Adams  and  Hancock  counties 


154 

within  convenient  distances  of  the  new  city,  and  for  a  time 
seemed  to  get  along  peaceably  with  their  neighbors.  It  was  not 
very  long,  however,  until  complaints  and  charges  were  heard  on 
every  hand  against  this  strange  people.  It  was  soon  discovered 
that  they  were  united  in  an  unusual  degree,  in  politics  as  well  as 
in  religion.  As  the  Mormons  increased  in  number,  they  be- 
came an  important  factor  in  elections.  As  Joe  Smith  and  his 
followers  went,  so  went  the  elections  in  Hancock  County,  and 
the  Congressional  district  in  which  Nauvoo  was  located.  When 
Joe  Smith  left  Missouri,  or  soon  thereafter,  one  or  more  indict- 
ments for  alleged  criminal  offenses  were  found  by  one  or  more 
grand  juries  in  that  State  against  Smith,  and  I  believe  some 
others  of  the  chief  men  among  the  Mormons,  or  "Church  of  the 
Latter  Day  Saints,"  as  they  were  called.  Smith  having  become 
a  resident  of  Illinois  under  the  laws  of  Congress,  he  might  be 
surrendered  for  trial  in  Missouri  upon  the  demand  of  the  Gov- 
ernor of  that  State  upon  the  Governor  of  Illinois  to  that  end. 
Both  Governors,  during  all  the  time  of  the  advent  and  residence 
of  the  Mormons  in  Illinois,  were  of  the  same  political  party,  and 
if,  during  the  approach  of  an  important  election,  it  became  an 
object  to  secure  the  Mormon  vote  on  that  side  to  which  both 
Governors  belonged  it  was  also  found  very  important  just  then 
to  the  ends  of  justice  that  the  demand  upon  our  Governor  should 
be  made  by  the  Governor  of  Missouri.  Two  or  more  of  these 
demands  were  made  pending  important  elections.  It  appears 
also  that  our  legislature,  in  the  most  reckless  manner,  granted  to 
the  City  of  Nauvoo  special  charters  containing  unusual  powers 
and  privileges,  and  soon  thereafter  that  city  adopted  the  most 
extraordinary  ordinances,  conferring  upon  their  local  authorities 
most  unusual  powers.  The  following  may  serve  as  a  sample  of 
the  claims  set  up  at  Nauvoo  by  that  city  under  her  charter,  viz. : 
The  following  is  a  copy  of  a  writ  issued  by  the  civil  authorities 
of  the  City  of  Nauvoo.  The  Nauvoo  city  charter  has  in  it  (Sec. 
17)  the  following  clause:  "The  Municipal  Court  shall  have 
power  to  grant  writs  of  habeas  corpus  in  all  cases  arising  under 
the  ordinances  of  the  City  Council"  As  this  naked  provision 
was  not  sufficiently  strong  for  the  purposes  of  the  Mormons, 
they  undertook  most  dishonestly  and  corruptly  to  stretch  it  by 
ordinance  of  their  City  Council.  They  accordingly  passed  an 
ordinance  in  substance  declaring  that  in  all  cases  of  arrest  with- 
in said  city  (no  difference  under  what  authority)  their  omnipo- 
tent writ  of  "habeas  corpus"  should  operate.  They  also  passed 


155 

an  ordinance  subjecting  all  process  issued  out  of  the  city  to  an 
examination  and  endorsed  approval  of  Joe  Smith,  before  the 
same  should  be  served  in  said  city: 

COPY. 

State  of  Illinois,  City  of  Nauvoo. 

Special  Term  of  the  Municipal  Court  of  the  City  of  Nauvoo,  Augusts,  1842. 

The  Judges  of  said  Court — To  Thomas  C.  King,  of  the  County  of  Adams 
and  State  aforesaid — Greeting : 

We  command  you  that  you  do  forthwith,  without  excuse  or  delay,  bring 
or  cause  to  be  brought  before  this  court,  at  their  chambers  in  the  city  of 
Nauvoo,  the  body  of  Joseph  Smith  by  whatever  name  or  condition  he  is 
known  or  called,  and  who  is  unlawfully  detained  and  in  your  custody,  as 
it  is  said,  together  with  the  day  and  cause  of  his  caption  and  detention, 
then  and  there  to  perform  and  abide  such  order  and -detention  as  the  said 
court  shall  make  in  that  behalf.  And  hereof  make  due  return  under  the 
penalty  of  what  the  law  directs.  In  testimony  whereof  we  have  set  our 
hands  and  affixed  the  seal  of  said  court,  this  8th  day  of  August,  A.  D.  1842. 

[SEAL]  ORSEN  SPENCER,  Chief  Justice  pro  tern. 

GEORGE  W.  HARRIS,  "1 
Ke«£S?        Associate  Justices. 
GUSTAVUS  HILLS,      J 

Attest:  James — (sir  name  obliterated)  Clerk  of  the  Municipal  Court  of 
the  City  of  Nauvoo,  Illinois. 

Endorsed— By  the  Habeas  Corpus  Act. 

This  is  one  of  the  several  instances  of  an  executive  writ  from 
a  sister  State  being  thus  evaded  and  worse  than  resisted — no 
man  ever  believed  the  Mormon  Court  had  any  jurisdiction  in 
such  case.  Yet  Joe  refused  to  come  with  the  officer,  and  was 
by  his  own  creatures  at  Nauvoo  discharged.  The  records  of 
Nauvoo  will  show  many  strange  ordinances  and  proceedings, 
which  are  now  perhaps  scarce  worth  the  trouble  of  looking  up. 
It  is  proper  to  remark  that  the  officer  in  this  case  refused  to 
obey  the  writ,  and  not  being  able  to  enforce  it,  he  left  Joe  in  the 
the  hands  of  his  friends  and  they  formally  discharged  him. 
Thomas  C.  King,  who  went  to  Nauvoo  to  make  the  arrest  of 
Smith  was  as  brave  a  man  as  could  be  found  in  this  State,  but  as 
he  afterwards  informed  the  writer,  the  overpowering  force  pre- 
sented in  threatened  resistance  to  his  attempt  to  bring  away  the 
body  of  Joseph  made  it  prudently  necessary  for  him  to  come 
away,  leaving  the  prophet  behind.  . 

It  was  either  upon  this  or  some  other  like  occasion  that  Smith 
appeared  at  Springfield,  December,  1842,  upon  habeas  cor-pus  be- 
fore the  United  States  District  Court  of  this  State — then  presided 
over  by  the  Hon.  Nathaniel  Pope,  judge.  Lamborn,  Attorney- 
General,  appeared  to  sustain  the  Governor's  warrant  for  the  ar- 
rest of  Smith  preparatory  to  his  being  taken  to  Missouri  for  trial 


156 

under  indictments  there  pending.  Justin  Butterfield,  of  Chicago, 
with  B.  S.  Edwards,  appeared  for  Smith,  and  moved  the  court  for 
his  discharge.  Smith  was  accompanied  by  many  of  his  friends — 
apostles  and  associates  from  Nauvoo.  When  the  proper  time 
arrived  for  taking  up  the  case,  Judge  Pope  upon  the  bench,  and 
seated  near  and  on  either  hand  a  row  of  beautiful  women,  who, 
by  reason  of  the  courtesy,  and  if  you  please,  gallantry  of  His 
Honor,  were  there  to  see  and  hear  about  the  new  prophet, 
Butterfield  made  his  celebrated  introduction,  as  follows:  "May 
it  please  the  court,  I  appear  before  you  to-day  under  circum- 
stances most  novel  and  peculiar.  I  am  to  address  the  Pope, 
(bowing  to  the  Judge)  surrounded  by  angels  (bo wing  still  lower 
to  the  ladies),  in  the  presence  of  the  holy  apostles  in  behalf  of 
the  prophet  of  the  Lord."  Smith  was  discharged  by  the  court, 
and  for  a  time  became  a  greater  hero  than  ever  before.  The 
Governor  and  people  of  Missouri  did  not  care  a  straw  about  it, 
but  at  the  next  election  in  Illinois  the  Mormon  vote  fell  upon  the 
side  of  the  Governors,  of  course  merely  accidentally. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


OF  THE  CONDUCT  OF  QUINCY  CONCERNING  THE  MORMON  WAR 
— QUINCY  PUT  RIGHT  BY  ONE  WHO  KNOWS. 


jHERE  were  from  time  to  time  enacted  by  the  city  author- 
ities  ordinances  which,  in  any  other  community,  would 
have  excited  the  greatest  furore  of  opposition.     Here  is  one: 

"An  extra  Ordinance  for  the  extra  case  of  Joseph  Smith  and  others." 
[Preamble:  recounting  Smith's  difficulties  with  Missouri.] 

SECTION  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  City  Council  of  the  City  of  Nauvoo, 
according  to  the  intent  and  meaning  of  the  Charter  for  the  "benefit  and  con- 
venience" of  Nauvoo,  that  hereafter,  if  any  person  or  persons  shall  come 
with  process,  demand,  or  requisition,  founded  upon  the  aforesaid  Missouri 
difficulties  to  arrest  said  Joseph  Smith,  he  or  they  shall  be  subject  to  be 
arrested  by  any  officer  of  the  city  with  or  without  process,  and  tried  by  the 
Municipal  Court  upon  testimony,  and  if  found  guilty,  sentenced  to  impris- 
onment in  the  City  Prison  FOR  LIFE,  which  convict  or  convicts  can  only  be 

pardoned  by  the  Governor,  with  the  consent  of  the  Mayor  of  said  City. 

******  *  **** 

Passed  December  8,  1843.  JOSEPH  SMITH,  Mayor. 

WILLARD  RICHARDS,  Recorder. 

What  beautiful  legislation!  The  pardoning  power  taken 
from  the  Governor! — and  life  imprisonment  under  a  city  ordi- 
nance!! Here  is  another  less  dangerous  one: 

"An  Ordinance  for  the  Health  and  Convenience  of  Travelers  and  other 
persons." 

SECTION  1.  Be  it  ordered  by  the  City  Council  of  the  City  of  Nauvoo, 
that  the  Mayor  of  the  City  be  and  is  hereby  authorized  to  sell  or  give 
spirits,  of  any  quantity,  as  he  in  his  wisdom  shall  judge  to  be  for  the 
health,  comfort  or  convenience  of  such  travelers  or  other  persons,  as  shall 
visit  his  house  from  time  to  time. 

Passed  December  12, 1843.  JOSEPH  SMITH,  Mayor. 

WILLARD  RICHARDS,  Recorder. 

Joseph  Smith  was  arrested  at  Palestine  Grove,  June  23,  1843, 
by  Harmon  T.  Wilson  and  Joseph  H.  Reynolds — Reynolds  be- 


158 

ing  the  messenger  sent  to  Illinois  to  bring  Smith  back  to  Mis- 
souri upon  demand  ot  the  Governor  of  that  State  upon  our 
Governor  to  answer  an  indictment  upon  the  charge  of  treason 
against  the  government  of  Missouri.  After  several  alleged  at- 
tempts upon  the  part  of  Smith  and  his  friends  to  appear  before 
a  judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  upon  habeas  corpus,  the  officers 
with  Smith  and  others  started,  as  it  was  alleged,  for  Quincy, 
and  to  have  the  motion  for  discharge  under  the  writ  of  habeas 
corpus  tried  before  Judge  Young  here,  but  in  passing  Nauvoo 
from  Dixon  the  prophet  desired  to  stop  at  his  home.  Pretty 
soon  the  Nauvoo  City  Court,  as  they  had  done  under  the  arrest 
mentioned  as  made  by  Thomas  C.  King,  discharged  Smith,  and 
Reynolds  had  to  go  back  with  a  "water-haul,"  as  they  say.  I 
believe  there  were  at  other  times  other  attempts  to  take  the 
prophet  to  Missouri  for  trial,  but  none  of  them  succeeded. 
Perhaps  one  of  the  hardest  jokes  for  any  man  to  bear  was  the 
one  resulting  from  this  case  in  relation  to  the  Hon.  Cyrus 
Walker.  Mr.  Walker  was  a  Whig,  a  good  man,  and  one  of  the 
foremost  lawyers  of  the  State  in  his  day,  with  a  natural  and 
laudable  ambition  to  go  to  Congress ;  he  was  the  Whig  candi- 
date for  Congress  in  the  Hancock  County  district.  When  Joe 
was  in  trouble,  growing  out  of  the  last  mentioned  arrest,  he  ap- 
plied to  Mr.  Walker  for  his  protessional  services  in  getting  a 
release  under  the  habeas  corpus  act.  Mr.  Walker,  it  was  alleged, 
appeared  for  Joe  Smith  before  the  city  court  of  Nauvoo  and  urged 
in  one  of  his  able  arguments  that  the  court  had  jurisdiction  and 
ought  to  discharge  Joe.  It  was  understood  soon  afterwards 
that  Smith  had  found  it  his  duty  under  revelation  to  go  for 
Walker,  and  personally,  it  is  said,  he  did,  but  just  before  the 
election  his  brother  Hyrum  had  a  revelation  to  the  effect  that 
the  Latter  Day  Saints  were  to  go  for  the  Democratic  candidate, 
Hoge,  and  thus  Walker  was  beaten. 

I  should  find  it  impossible,  if  otherwise  desirable,  to  go  into 
any  lengthy  history  of  the  wars  and  murders  and  disturbances 
in  Hancock  County  following  the  residence  and  final  expulsion 
of  the  Mormons  from  Hancock  County,  but  have  in  my  posses- 
sion over  a  hundred  documents,  affidavits  and  pamphlets  put 
forth  by  one  or  the  other  of  the  parties  to  these  wars  and  dis- 
turbances. I  am  now  desirous  only  to  set  forth  the  part  borne 
by  Quincy  in  the  final  arrangement  under  which  the  Mormons 
left  the  State.  I  have  before  me  No.  6,  of  Vol.  2,  of  the  Times 
and  Seasons,  of  January  15,  1841,  this  being  the  official  paper  of 


159 

the  Mormon  people.  It  contains  "A  Proclamation  to  the  Saints 
Scattered  Abroad — Greeting."  The  following  extracts  from 
this  proclamation  which  is  signed  Joseph  Smith,  Sidney  Rigdon 
and  Hyrum  Smith,  Presidents  of  the  Church,  will  show  their 
estimate  of  the  people  of  Quincy:  *  *  *  "It  would  be  im- 
possible to  enumerate  all  those  who,  in  our  time  of  deep  distress, 
nobly  came  forward  to  our  relief,  and  like  the  good  Samaritan, 
poured  oil  into  our  wounds,  and  contributed  liberally  to  our 
necessities  as  the  citizens  of  Quincy  en  masse  and  the  people  of 
Illinois  generally  seemed  to  emulate  each  other  in  this  labor  of 
love.  We  would,  however,  make  honorable  mention  of  Gov- 
ernor Carlin,  Judge  Young,  General  Leech,  Judge  Ralston,  and 
some  eight  others  mentioned,  who  will  long  be  remembered  by 
a  grateful  people,"  &c.  They  likewise  make  mention  of  the 
legislature  of  this  State,  who,  "without  respect  of  parties,  with- 
out reluctance,  freely,  openly,  boldly  and  nobly  have  come  forth 
to  our  assistance,  owned  us  as  citizens  and  friends,  and  took  us 
by  the  hand  and  extended  to  us  all  the  blessings  of  civil,  political 
and  religious  liberty  by  granting  us,  under  date  of  December 
16,  1840,  one  of  the  most  liberal  charters,  with  the  most  plenary 
powers  ever  conferred  by  a  legislative  assembly  on  free  citizens, 
for  the  City  of  Nauvoo,  the  Nauvoo  Legion,  and  the  University 
of  the  City  of  Nauvoo.  The  first  of  these  charters  (that  for  the 
City  of  Nauvoo)  secures  to  us,  in  all  time  to  come,  irrevocably  all 
those  great  blessings  of  civil  liberty,  which  of  right  appertain  to 
all  the  free  citizens  of  a  civilized  republic — this  is  all  we  ever 
claimed,"  &c.  The  proclamation  goes  on  to  speak  of  the  advan- 
tages of  the  Nauvoo  Legion  as  embracing  their  military  power, 
&c.,  and  of  the  University  with  its  learned  professors  and  regents. 
It  also  announced  that  John  C.  Bennett,  M.  D.,  had  been  appointed 
quarter-master-general  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  says  that  "the 
charters  for  the  University  and  Legion  are  addenda  to  the  city 
charter,  making  the  whole  perfect  and  complete."  In  view  of 
the  extraordinary  legislation  at  the  hands  of  the  Illinois  legisla- 
ture, we  need  scarcely  wonder  at  the  result  of  the  Mormon  resi- 
dence in  the  State  and  its  unhappy  end. 

As  stated,  Joe  Smith  was  killed  in  the  Carthage  jail  on  the 
27th  of  June,  1844:  his  brother  Hyrum  was  also  killed  and  Mr. 
Taylor,  the  editor  of  the  Nauvoo  Neighbour  wounded.  All 
these  parties  were  in  jail  charged  with  criminal  offense.  They 
had  at  first  resisted  arrest,  but  finally  surrendered.  It  is  no  part 
of  my  purpose  to  enter  now  into  the  miserable  details  of 


160 

the  Mormon  wars,  quarrels  and  protracted  disturbances  in  Han- 
cock County  during  several  years  of  the  advent  of  the  Mor- 
mons at  Nauvoo.  Soon  after  the  death  of  the  Smiths,  Brigham 
Young  became  the  head  of  the  Mormon  organization.  Prior  to 
this  time,  and  indeed  afterwards,  dissensions  had  arisen  even 
among  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo.  Whilst  renewed  charges  and 
complaints  of  sundry  crimes  and  murders  were  made  by  the 
people  of  Hancock  County  against  the  Mormons,  counter- 
charges and  accusations  were  made  and  kept  up  on  the  other 
side.  At  length  old  political  parties  and  differences  were  laid 
aside,  and  there  remained  substantially  but  two  parties  to  the 
quarrel — Mormons  and  anti- Mormons.  Not  only  in  Hancock 
County,  but  mainly  in  Adams  and  other  counties  surrounding 
Hancock,  it  came  to  be  generally  felt  and  believed  by  the  people 
that  there  could  be  no  peace  for  this  part  of  Illinois  so  long  as 
the  Mormons  remained  here.  In  the  language  of  General  Sin- 
gleton, in  his  address  to  the  public  of  September  n,  1846:  "Be- 
lieving that  nothing  short  of  the  removal  of  the  Mormons  would 
restore  peace  to  the  country."  This  conviction  was  before  that 
time  fully  impressed  upon  the  people  of  Quincy,  and  as  early  as 
the  22d  of  September,  1845,  a  very  large  public  meeting  was 
held  in  the  Court  House,  and  passed  a  resolution  to  send  to 
Nauvoo  a  committee  of  citizens  to  make  known  to  the  Mormon 
authorities  the  conclusions  of  the  meeting.  The  following  reply 
to  the  committee  will  explain  the  purport  of  the  message  the 
committee  was  charged  to  present  at  Nauvoo: 

TO  WHOM  IT  MAY  COMCERN. 

NAUVOO,  September  24, 1845. 

WHEREAS,  a  council  of  the  authorities  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter  Day  Saints,  at  Nauvoo,  have  this  day  received  a  communication  from 
Henry  Asbury,  John  P.  Bobbins,  Albert  G.  Pearson,  P.  A.  Goodwin,  J.  N. 
Ralston,  M.  Rogers,  and  E.  Conyers,  Messrs.  Committee  of  the  citizens  of 
Quincy,  requesting  us  to  "communicate  in  writing  our  disposition  and  in- 
tention at  this  time,  particularly  with  regard  to  removing  to  some  place 
where  the  peculiar  organization  of  our  Church  will  not  be  likely  to  engen- 
der so  much  strife  and  contention  as  so  unhappily  exists  at  this  time  in 
Hancock  and  some  of  the  adjoining  counties ;"  and, 

WHEREAS,  said  Committee  have  reported  to  us  the  doings  of  a  public 
meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Quincy,  on  the  22d  inst.,  by  which  it  appears 
there  are  some  feelings  in  that  place  concerning  us  as  a  people,  and  in  re- 
lation to  which  sundry  resolutions  were  passed,  purporting  to  be  for  the 
purpose  of  maintaining  or  restoring  peace  to  the  country;  and, 

WHEREAS,  it  is  our  desire,  and  ever  has  been,  to  live  in  peace  with  all 
men,  so  far  as  we  can,  without  sacrificing  the  right  of  worshipping  God 
according  to  the  dictates  of  our  own  consciences,  which  privilege  is  guar- 
anteed to  us  by  the  constitution  of  these  United  States ;  and, 


161 

WHEREAS,  we  have,  time  and  time  again,  and  again,  been  driven  from  our 
peaceful  homes,  and  our  women  and  children  been  obliged  to  exist  on  the 
prairies,  in  the  forests,  on  the  roads,  and  in  tents,  in  the  dead  of  winter, 
suffering  all  manner  of  hardships,  even  to  death  itself,  as  the  people  of 
Quincy  well  know ;  the  remembrance  of  whose  hospitality  in  former  days 
still  causes  our  hearts  to  burn  with  joy,  and  raise  the  prayer  to  heaven  for 
blessings  on  their  heads  ;  and, 

WHEREAS,  it  is  now  so  late  in  the  season  that  it  is  impossible  for  us,  as  a 
people,  to  remove  this  fall,  without  causing  a  repetition  of  like  sufferings ; 
and, 

WHEREAS,  it  had  been  represented  to  us  from  other  sources  than  those 
named  and  even  in  some  communications  from  the  Executive  of  this  State, 
that  many  of  the  citizens  of  the  State  were  unfriendly  to  our  views  and 
principles ;  and, 

WHEREAS,  many  scores  of  our  houses  in  this  county  have  been  burned  to 
ashes,  without  any  justifiable  cause  or  provocation,  and  we  have  made  no 
resistance,  till  compelled  by  the  authorities  of  the  county  so  to  do,  and  that 
authority  not  connected  with  our  Church  ;  and, 

WHEREAS,  said  resistance  to  mobocracy,  from  the  legally  constituted 
authorities  appears  to  be  misunderstood  by  some,  and  misconstrued  by 
others,  so  as  to  produce  an  undue  excitement  in  the  public  mind;  and, 

WHEREAS,  we  desire  peace  above  all  earthly  blessings; 

Therefore;  We  would  say  to  the  committee  above  mentioned,  and  to  the 
Governor,  and  all  the  authorities  and  people  of  Illinois,  and  the  surround- 
ing States  and  Territories,  that  we  propose  to  leave  this  county  next 
spring  for  some  point  so  remote,  that  there  will  not  need  to  be  a  difficulty 
with  the  people  and  ourselves,  provided  certain  propositions  necessary  for 
the  accomplishment  of  our  removal  shall  be  observed  as  follows,  to-wit: 

That  the  citizens  of  this,  and  surrounding  counties,  and  all  men,  will  use 
their  influence  and  exertions  to  help  us  to  sell  or  rent  our  properties,  so  as 
to  get  means  enough  that  we  can  help  the  widow,  the  fatherless  and  desti- 
tute to  remove  with  us ; 

That  all  men  will  let  us  alone  with  their  vexatious  lawsuits,  so  that  we 
may  have  the  time,  for  we  have  broken  no  law;  and  help  us  to  cash,  dry 
goods,  groceries,  good  oxen,  milch  cows,  beef  cattle,  sheep,  wagons,  mules, 
harness,  horses,  &c.,  in  exchange  for  our  property,  at  a  fair  price,  and  deeds 
given  on  payment,  that  we  may  have  the  means  to  accomplish  a  removal 
without  the  suffering  of  the  destitute  to  an  extent  beyond  the  endurance 
of  human  nature; 

That  all  exchanges  of  property  be  conducted  by  a  committee  or  commit- 
tees of  both  parties,  so  that  all  business  may  be  transacted  honorably  and 
speedily ; 

That  we  will  use  all  lawful  means,  in  connection  with  others,  to  preserve 
the  public  peace  while  we  tarry,  and  shall  expect  decidedly  that  we  be 
no  more  molested  with  house-burning,  or  any  other  depredations  to  waste 
our  property  and  time  and  hinder  our  business ; 

That  it  is  a  mistaken  idea  that  we  "have  proposed  to  remove  in  six 
months ;"  for  that  would  be  so  early  in  the  spring  that  grass  might  not 
grow  nor  water  run,  both  of  which  would  be  necessary  for  our  removal, 
but  we  propose  to  use  our  influence,  to  have  no  more  seed  time  nor  harvest 
among  our  people  in  this  county  after  gathering  our  present  crops.  And 
that  all  communications  to  us  be  made  in  writing. 

By  order  of  the  Council.  BRIGHAM  YOUNG,  President. 

WILLARD  RICHARDS,  Clerk. 
11 


162 

It  is  proper  to  state  here,  that  this  action  on  the  part  of 
Quincy  was  taken  in  a  spirit  of  kindness  towards  all  the  parties, 
and  her  views  were  communicated  to  the  Nauvoo  authorities  in 
a  respectful  and  straight-forward  manner.  Our  committee  ar- 
rived at  Nauvoo  on  the  day  after  the  meeting  here,  at  about  n 
o'clock  A.  M.  We  found  the  city  under  a  sort  of  military  or 
marshal  law.  On  our  way  to  the  hotel  where  we  stopped  we 
passed  one  or  more  armed  sentinels  upon  their  beats.  We 
found  soon  after  our  arrival  that  Brigham  Young  and  some 
others  of  the  leading  men  were  absent  at  Carthage,  but  were 
expected  to  return  that  evening.  Our  committee  (all  of  whom, 
except  the  writer,  and  probably  M.  Rogers,  are  now  dead)  had 
to  await  the  return  of  Young.  During  the  afternoon  we  looked 
around  the  city  to  a  small  extent,  and  made  some  inquiries  of 
those  we  met  as  to  the  present  population  of  Nauvoo  and  its 
general  condition.  We  were  informed  that  the  population  of  the 
city  was  then  at  least  15,000  souls,  and  during  the  long  hours 
we  had  to  wait  for  the  return  of  Young,  we  had  time  and  occa- 
sion to  discuss  among  ourselves  the  rather  singular  nature  of  our 
mission  and  the  magnitude  of  the  modest  request  of  Quincy  that 
this  people  should  pull  up  stakes  and  go  away.  And  let  it  be 
remembered,  that  Quincy,  which  was  first  to  receive  and  treat 
with  kindness  the  Mormon  people,  was  the  first,  though  reluc- 
tantly, to  say  to  them,  without  threatening,  it  would  be  best  for 
them  to  go.  Brigham  Young  arrived  from  Carthage  late,  and 
at  near  n  o'clock  at  night  your  committee  delivered  the  Quincy 
resolutions  with  a  short  and  respectful  note  from  the  committee. 
The  next  morning  at  breakfast  the  committee  received  the  re- 
ply which  is  substantially  given,  "To  Whom  it  May  Concern," 
as  herein  stated.  After  the  return  of  the  committee  to  Quincy 
they  reported  to  a  meeting  of  its  citizens  the  result  of  their  mis- 
sion to  Nauvoo,  and  the  communication  made  to  them  by  the 
President  of  the  council  at  Nauvoo.  The  meeting  passed  reso- 
lutions of  approval,  and  thereafter  a  meeting  was  held  at  Car- 
thage in  October,  1845,  of  the  people  of  the  surrounding  nine 
counties,  which  also  accepted  the  pledges  made  by  the  Mor- 
mons in  September.  For  a  time  comparative  peace  reigned  in 
Warsaw  and  in  Hancock  County;  but  when  September  of  the 
next  year,  1846,  came  and  after  grass  grew  and  water  ran,  it 
was  found  that  only  a  portion,  though  a  large  portion,  of  the 
Mormons  had  left  the  State  for  their  newly  chosen  home  near 
Salt  Lake. 


163 

The  better  element  of  the  Mormons,  including  their  leaders 
and  the  strong  men  and  women  best  fitted  for  the  journey,  had 
gone,  leaving  many  of  the  poorest  and  perhaps  most  worthless 
people  still  at  Nauvoo,  with  the  seeming  purpose  to  remain  there 
for  another  winter  at  least,  if  not  for  an  indefinite  period  to  come. 
There  then  arose  another  struggle,  the  last  and  the  final  one. 
Warrants  had  been  issued  against  some  parties  at  Nauvoo, 
charging  some  criminal  offense,  and  finally  placed  in  the  hands 
of  John  Carlin  to  be  executed;  and  under  the  claim  that 
he  had  the  right  to  call  out  the  whole  power  of  the  county  to  en- 
able him  to  go  into  Nauvoo  and  arrest  the  parties,  there  was 
soon  gathered  a  large  body  of  men  who  finally,  under  the  mili- 
tary command  of  Colonel  Tom  Brockman,  the  sturdy  blacksmith 
from  Brown  County — a  man  of  great  determination,  a  good 
stump  orator,  and  with  the  strength  and  constitution  of  a  horse. 
Brockman  was  caught  in  the  tide  of  angry  passions  which  sur- 
rounded him,  and  soon  found,  even  if  he  had  desired  it  to  be 
otherwise,  that  the  so-called  -posse  comitatus  were  bent  on  going 
into  Nauvoo.  Brockman's  command  from  first  to  last  embraced 
as  many  as  800  men,  and  mostly  well  armed.  The  Mormons 
and  their  allies  numbered,  as  stated  in  a  message  of  Governor 
Ford,  dated  December  1846,  at  first  about  250,  but  were  dimin- 
ished by  desertions  and  removals  before  the  decisive  action  took 
place  to  about  150.  After  Brockman  arrived  near  the  city  on 
the  nth,  he  sent  into  Nauvoo  a  flag  of  truce,  under  which  he 
demanded  surrender,  &c.  This  was  denied,  and  on  Saturday, 
September  12,  1846,  there  occurred  the  battle  of  Nauvoo — a  few 
men  were  killed  and  a  few  wounded,  and  much  ammunition  exr 
pended.  On  Sunday,  the  i3th,  some  of  our  citizens  who  were 
in  Nauvoo  the  day  before  when  the  attack  was  made,  arrived  in 
Quincy  with  the  news  of  the  event,  and  this  report,  with  other 
information  received  previously,  made  it  evident  that  the  anti- 
Mormons,  under  Brockman,  would  soon  again  attempt  to  march 
into  Nauvoo.  Some  blood  having  been  shed  upon  both  sides 
with  no  decisive  result,  and  with  increased  animosities,  and  un- 
der the  conviction  that  the  men  under  Brockman  so  greatly  out- 
numbering the  other  side,  could  and  would  succeed  in  going  into 
Nauvoo  upon  their  next  attempt,  and  that  in  case  they  did  so, 
the  result  might  be  considerable  loss  of  life,  even  extending  to 
women  and  children,  and  perhaps  also  result  in  burning  down 
the  town. 


164 

The  writer  meeting  the  Hon.  I.  N.  Morris  near  the  Court 
House,  said  to  him:  "Now,  Mr.  Morris,  is  the  time  for  Quincy 
to  act.  We  should  send  up  to  Nauvoo  at  once  a  large  commit- 
tee with  the  hope  of  preventing  another  battle,  and  perhaps  save 
our  State  from  the  disgrace  resulting  from  the  probable  killing 
of  even  women  and  children  in  the  fight."  "Singularly  enough," 
said  Mr.  Morris,  "I  was  hunting  you  for  the  same  object.  We 
should  send  a  committee  of  one  hundred  of  our  best  citizens." 
"Yes,"  said  I,  "all,  if  you  please,  anti-Mormons,  or  those  who 
realize  that  the  Mormons  must  go  soon,  if  not  now.  We  must 
try  to  prevent  further  blood-shedding."  So  on  Sunday,  Sep- 
tember 13,  1846 — I  believe  that  was  the  date — Mr.  Morris  and 
myself  went  forth  through  the  town  and  called  a  meeting  at  the 
Court  House  for  that  evening.  A  large  number  of  those  noti- 
fied attended  whose  names  were  written  down  and  it  was  agreed 
and  appointed  that  this  committee  of  one  hundred  should  start 
at  an  early  hour  next  morning  for  the  seat  of  war.  It  was  un- 
derstood that  they  were  to  go  unarmed  and  for  the  purpose  of 
negotiating  an  agreement  or  treaty  between  the  belligerents  so  as 
to  prevent  further  bloodshed  and  such  disasters  as  we  fejt  might 
follow  another  attempt  on  the  part  of  Brockman's  army  to  fight 
its  way  into  Nauvoo.  The  committee  had  no  thought  that  they 
could  dictate  terms  to  the  parties  engaged  in  the  contest.  Their 
main  idea  and  purpose  was  to  stop  the  war.  The  committee 
arrived  at  a  point  about  two  miles  and  a  half  east  of  Nauvoo  on 
the  same  or  the  next  day  after  they  left  Quincy  and  encamped ; 
but  previously  they  had  sent  messengers  into  Brockman's  camp 
and  into  Nauvoo,  notifying  each  party  of  their  coming,  and  of 
our  desire  and  purpose  to  act  as  mediators  to  prevent  further 
war,  and  also  stating  to  both  sides  that  we  mere  unarmed,  but 
anti-Mormons,  and  offering  our  services  to  aid  in  preventing 
further  bloodshed.  Our  committee,  soon  after  its  arrival  and 
encampment,  appointed  two  sub-committees,  one  to  visit  Brock- 
man's camp,  outside  of  the  city,  and  the  other  to  visit  Nauvoo. 
The  writer  served  upon  both  committees  upon  different  occa- 
sions, and  was  present  in  Nauvoo  at  the  final  close  of  negotia- 
tions. Our  first  object  was  to  effect  a  suspension  of  hostilities 
between  the  parties  to  allow  time  for  negotiations.  After  some 
reluctance  on  the  part  of  the  besieging  army,  we  got  an  agree- 
ment for  a  short  suspension  of  firing,  but  before  we  got  through 
some  misapprehension  occurring,  firing  was  again  renewed,  and 
in  one  instance  a  six-pound  shot  fell  near  the  Mormon  headquar- 


165 

ters  whilst  some  of  the  committee  were  in  them.  Another  de- 
lay occurred,  in  which  our  sub-committees  had  to  visit  each 
camp  to  explain.  Our  committee  obtained  from  Brockman 
what  he  proposed.  This  was  objected  to  by  the  Nauvoo  parties, 
who  sent  a  counter-proposition,  which  was  at  once  rejected  by 
Brockman.  Our  committee  then  for  the  first  time  made  out 
and  sent  unto  each  party  a  proposition;  this  was  accepted  by 
Nauvoo  and  rejected  by  Brockman.  The  writer  then  proposed 
to  the  committee  to  come  home.  In  our  proposition  the  Mor- 
mons were  not  to  be  compelled  to  remove  from  Nauvoo  imme- 
diately, but  within  a  short  time,  limited,  and  not  to  be  hurried 
off  in  a  day.  Our  sub-committee  was  then  instructed  to  go  to 
Brockman  and  get  his  ultimatum.  When  this  was  received  in 
our  camp  it  was  found  substantially  the  same  as  his  first,  and 
was  to  the  effect  that  the  posse  comitatus  should  march  into 
Nauvoo  the  next  day  at  12  o'clock  M.  This  ultimatum  was 
finally  accepted  by  the  Nauvoo  authorities,  and  an  agreement  or 
treaty  was  drawn  up  by  our  secretary,  Andrew  Johnston,  Esq., 
now  of  Richmond,  Va.  This  treaty  was  first  signed  by  parties 
at  Brockman's  camp,  but  before  this  could  be  done,  the  night  of 
the  second  day  after  the  committee  had  arrived  had  set  in,  but 
with  this  treaty  one  of  our  sub-committees,  consisting  of  Mr. 
Johnston,  Mr.  Morris,  Mr.  Asbury  and  one  or  two  others 
repaired  to  the  headquarters  of  the  Mormon  authorities  in 
Nauvoo,  where  it  was  signed  by  them,  and  then  the  dogs  of 
war  were  called  off.  By  this  time  it  was  near  u  o'clock  at 
night,  and  one  of  the  darkest  nights  I  ever  saw,  and  we  found 
the  utmost  difficulty  in  finding  our  way  back  to  our  camp;  in 
fact  we  got  lost  and  had  to  take  shelter  for  the  remainder  of  the 
night  in  an  old  empty  house  we  found  in  our  wanderings.  That 
night  was  a  hard  night;  it  had  rained  and  turned  quite  cool. 
None  of  us  had  blankets,  and  some  of  us  were  without  cloaks  or 
overcoats.  The  tardy  daylight  at  length  appeared,  and  we  re- 
turned to  camp  for  breakfast,  and  about  u  o'clock  Brockman 
marshaled  his  hosts  and  started  for  Nauvoo,  our  committee 
bringing  up  the  rear  of  the  procession,  and  now  like  the  little 
boy,  had  nothing  to  say. 

In  fact,  kind  reader,  our  committee,  consisting  of  one  hundred 
of  as  good  men  as  ever  resided  in  Quincy,  with  all  their  good 
intentions  to  prevent  the  further  shedding  of  bloodj  and  with  no 
thought  or  desire  that  the  Mormons  should  permanently  remain 
in  Nauvoo,  but  that  they  should  not  be  hurried  off  in  a  day, 


166 

found  themselves  without  honor  or  credit  for  good  intentions  by 
either  party  or  by  our  Governor.  Governor  Ford  and  many 
of  our  committee  are  now  dead,  but  as  few  men  now  living  know 
more  of  the  inside  struggle  at  Nauvoo  in  September,  1846,  than 
the  writer  of  this  history,  I  deem  it  but  an  act  of  justice,  at  least 
to  the  Quincy  committee,  to  state  its  part  in  that  memorable 
event  of  what  is  called  the  expulsion  of  the  Mormons  from 
Nauvoo,  in  September,  1846.  The  following  proceedings  of  a 
meeting  at  Quincy,  held  at  the  Court  House,  April  23,  1846, 
will  explain  the  convictions  of  our  people  as  early  as  the  spring 
of  1846: 

ANTI- MORMON  MEETING  AT  QUINCY. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Adams  County,  Illinois,  held  at  the  Court 
House  in  Quincy,  on  Thursday  evening,  the  23d  of  April,  1846,  pursuant  to 
previous  notice. 

Archibald  Williams,  Esq.,  was  appointed  Chairman,  and  William  H. 
Bennesoh,  Esq.,  was  appointed  Secretary. 

On  motion  of  I.  N.  Morris,  Esq.,  a  committee  of  five  was  appointed  by 
the  Chair,  to  draft  and  report  resolutions  expressive  of  the  sense  of  this 
meeting,  which  committee  consisted  of  Messrs.  I.  N.  Morris,  E.  J.  Phillips, 
Colonel  Chittenden,  R.  T.  Osborne,  and  Captain  John  B.  Schwindler. 

The  committee,  having  retired  for  a  short  time,  returned  and  reported 
the  following  preamble  and  resolutions,  which  were  unanimously  adopted  : 

WHEREAS,  the  embittered  and  active  hostilities  existing  between  the 
Mormons  and  the  old  citizens  of  Hancock  and  the  north  part  of  this 
county,  reached  such  a  crisis  during  the  last  fall,  that  it  became  necessary 
for  the  surrounding  counties  to  interpose,  in  order  to  effect  a  permanent 
settlement  of  the  difficulties.  And 

WHEREAS,  it  was  evident  to  all  that  nothing  short  of  the  removal  of  the 
Mormons  from  the  State,  would  restore  peace  and  quiet  to  the  county.  And 
whereas,  the  citizens  of  this  city  and  vicinity,  deeply  impressed  with  the 
truth  of  this  sentiment,  and  sincerely  desirous  of  terminating  the  contro- 
versy existing  between  the  contending  parties  appointed  a  committee  to 
visit  Nauvoo  and  ascertain  from  the  Mormon  leaders,  or  "the  Twelve,"  their 
views  and  feelings  in  relation  to  removing  from  the  State.  And  whereas,  the 
Twelve  submitted  a  printed  proposition  to  said  committee,  that  they  would 
remove  from  the  State,  together  with  all  their  people  as  soon  in  the  spring  "as 
grass  grows  and  water  runs."  And  whereas,  said  committee  reported  said 
proposition  to  an  adjourned  meeting  held  in  this  city,  and  recommended 
its  adoption.  And  whereas,  said  meeting  did  accept  said  proposition,  and 
have  acted  upon  it  in  good  faith.  And  whereas,  a  convention  of  the  coun- 
ties surrounding  Hancock  subsequently  met  in  Carthage,  pursued  the  same 
course,  and  accepted  the  proposition  of  the  Mormons  to  leave  in  the  spring 
and  pledged  themselves  to  "abide  patiently  the  time  appointed  for  their 
removal."  And  whereas,  it  has  been  necessary  during  all  the  intervening 
time  for  the  Executive  to  keep  a  military  force  in  Hancock,  at  a  great  ex- 
pense to  the  State,  to  ensure  tranquillity  there  and  to  assist  in  the  execution 
of  the  laws.  And  whereas,  we  are  authentically  informed  that  his  Excel- 
lency will  withdraw  said  troops  from  said  county  on  the  first  of  May.  And 


whereas,  we  are  also  informed  from  sources  we  deem  entitled  to  the  high- 
est credit,  that  it  is  the  intention  of  only  a  part  of  the  Mormons  to  remove 
this  spring.  And  whereas,  such  a  course  would  be  a  flagrant  and  manifest 
violation  of  their  most  solemn  pledge,  would  be  trifling  in  a  most  shame- 
less manner  with  public  feeling,  and  disappointing  public  expectation  at 
the  very  moment  when  we  were  all  so  firmly  and  anxiously  expecting  to 
see  permanent  order  and  tranquillity  restored  to  the  county.  And 
whereas,  if  the  Mormons,  or  any  part  of  them,  pursue  their  present  in- 
tended and  suicidal  course  of  remaining  in  the  State  beyond  the  time 
agreed  on  for  their  removal,  a  most  fearful  and  deadly  strife  will  be  marked 
by  all  the  desolating  horrors  of  a  civil  feud.  And  whereas,  as  such  a  state 
of  things  is  to  be  deeply  deplored,  we  deem  it  an  imperative  duty  to  avert 
so  dreadful  a  calamity  if  possible.  And  whereas,  the  character  and  conduct 
of  the  Mormons  is  so  well  known,  and  the  necessity  of  their  removal  so 
apparent  to  all,  that  to  attempt  an  exposition  of  the  one,  or  assign  the 
reasons  for  the  other,  would  be  a  work  of  supererogation,  and  an  insult  to 
the  intelligence  of  the  community.  Therefore, 

1st.  Resolved,  That  an  attempt  on  the  part  of  any  of  the  Mormons  to 
remain  in  the  State  after  the  time  appointed  for  their  removal  would  be  a 
palpable  and  shameless  violation  of  their  pledge,  and  the  consequences 
will  be  upon  themselves. 

2d.  Resolved,  That  nothing  short  of  the  removal  from  the  State  this 
spring  of  the  entire  people  called  Mormons  will  satisfy  public  feeling 
and  expectation,  and  fulfil  their  engagements  most  solemnly  entered  into, 
to  remove  "as  soon  as  grass  grew  and  water  run." 

3d.  Resolved,  That  we  most  solemnly  warn  the  Mormons  not  to  heed 
the  counsel  of  political  demagogues  or  Jacks,  as  we  believe  they  are 
governed  by  the  basest  of  motives  in  their  efforts  to  retain  them  in  the 
State,  and  as  their  advice  will  be  hereafter,  if  they  remain,  as  it  has  been 
heretofore,  "a  mill  stone  about  their  necks." 

4th.  Resolved,  That  should  any  part  or  portion  of  the  Mormons  attempt 
to  remain  in  the  State  after  the  time  expires  for  their  removal,  they  will 
find,  as  they  have  always  heretofore  found,  an  overwhelming  majority  of 
the  people  against  them. 

5th.  Resolved,  That  it  would  be  the  height  of  madness  and  folly  for  the 
Mormons,  or  any  portion  of  them,  to  attempt  a  violation  of  their  pledge  to 
remove,  as  such  a  course  would  with  unerring  certainty  bring  down  the 
retributive  vengeance  of  the  old  settlers  of  Hancock  and  the  surrounding 
counties  upon  them,  and  lead  to  their  summary  expulsion  from  the  State, 
and,  we  fear,  to  their  extermination. 

6th.  Resolved,  That  we,  the  citizens  of  Adams  county,  occupy  the  same 
position  in  relation  to  the  Mormons  that  we  have  heretofore  occupied 
towards  them ;  and  in  case  of  a  renewal  of  hostilities  between  them  and 
the  old  citizens,  they  will  find  us  "doing  battle"  with  the  latter. 

7th.  Resolved,  That  to  suffer  the  Mormons  to  remove  from  Hancock  into 
our  county  would  be  aggravating  the  evil,  and  we  warn  them  against  doing 
so  ;  while  we  will  assure  those  already  here  that  Adams  county  is  as  deeply 
and  sincerely  desirous  of  getting  rid  of  them  as  Hancock  county  is  of 
getting  rid  of  those  within  her  limits ;  and  they  are  equally  expected  to  re- 
move with  their  brethren,  and  save  us  from  any  further  turmoil  and 
difficulty. 

The  resolutions  were  discussed  by  Messrs.  Warren,  Johnston,  Jonas  and 
Morris,  and  adopted  unanimously,  as  already  stated. 


168 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Johnston  it  was  resolved  that  a  copy  of  the  proceed- 
ings be  signed  by  the  Chairman  and  Secretary  and  transmitted  to  the 
people  of  Hancock  county ;  and  that  they  be  also  published  in  the  news- 
papers of  this  city. 

And  then  the  meeting  adjourned. 

(Signed)  A.  WILLIAMS,  Chairman. 

WM.  H.  BENNESON,  Secretary. 

On  the  i5th  or  i6th,  I  believe,  of  September,  1846,  when  our 
committee  entered  Nauvoo  with  Brockman's  forces,  we  kept 
together  for  a  time  near  the  headquarters  of  these  forces,  and 
not  long  after  we  arrived  at  the  point  one  or  more  gentlemen, 
claiming  to  be  residents  of  Nauvoo,  but  not  Mormons,  stated  to 
our  committee  that  they  had  been  threatened  with  expulsion  by 
some  of  the  posse  under  Brockman,  and  desired  our  committee 
to  interpose  in  their  behalf.  Some  of  us  went  with  the  men  to 
Brockman's  headquarters  and  stated  the  complaint,  but  we  were 
informed  that  their  agreement  or  treaty  had  been  made  with  the 
Mormons  alone,  and  that  nothing  was  said  about  the  "Jacks,"  that 
they  must  take  care  of  themselves.  No  arms  were  formally  de- 
livered to  the  committee  by  the  Mormons  or  others,  within  our 
knowledge,  though  I  believe  some  were  delivered  to  the  posse. 
We,  as  a  committee,  finding  ourselves  entirely  powerless  to  in- 
terfere with  the  purposes  of  those  under  Brockman's  command 
in  any  way  whatever.  Before  Brockman's  army  and  posse,  as 
it  was  termed,  went  into  the  city  every  Mormon  had  left.  We 
did  not  see  one.  I  regret  that  I  have  not  the  treaty  before  me 
as  I  write,  but,  as  recollected,  nothing  was  said  in  it  to  the  effect 
that  the  Mormons  should  leave  Nauvoo  that  day,  though  it  was 
understood  that  they  would  leave  the  city  soon.  We  witnessed 
no  act  of  violence  or  disorder  whilst  we  stayed,  but  finding  that 
our  committee  could  exercise  no  influence  in  any  way,  we  left 
Nauvoo  for  home.  We  were  only  assured  by  Brockman's  offi- 
cers that  in  respect  to  the  Mormons  the  treaty  should  be  faith- 
fully carried  out,  and  I  believe  it  was  as  to  them.  When  we 
left,  the  Mormons  were  all  over  the  river,  at  or  near  Montrose, 
and  it  was  represented  to  us  that  they  were  in  a  very  destitute 
condition.  Our  committee  resolved  that  upon  returning  home 
we  should  at  once  set  about  collecting  money,  clothing  and  pro- 
visions to  be  forwarded  to  these  people.  Upon  our  return  home 
we  carried  out  this  resolution  by  collecting  a  large  sum  of 
money  and  provisions  and  clothing,  which  was  sent  to  them. 
The  citizens  of  Quincy  then  made  large  contributions  and  did,  as 
when  the  Mormons  first  came  here,  all  they  could  for  their  relief. 


169 

Governor  Ford,  in  a  report  made  to  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives in  relation  to  the  difficulties  in  Hancock  County,  dated 
Springfield,  December  7, 1846,  among  other  things,  speaking  of 
the  Quincy  committee,  says:  *  *  *  "At  last  through  the  in- 
tervention of  an  anti-Mormon  committee  from  Quincy,  the  Mor- 
mons were  induced  to  submit  to  such  terms  as  the  posse  chose 
to  dictate,  which  were,  amongst  others,  that  the  Mormons 
should  immediately  give  up  their  arms  to  the  Quincy  commit- 
tee and  remove  from  the  State.  The  trustees  of  the  Mormon 
Church  and  their  clerks  were  permitted  to  remain  for  the  sale 
of  Mormon  property,  and  the  posse  were  to  march  in  unmolested 
and  leave  a  sufficient  force  to  guarantee  the  execution  of  their 
stipulation."  In  this  statement  the  Governor  was  mistaken  in 
saying  that  the  Mormons  were  through  the  intervention  of  our 
committee  induced  to  submit  to  such  terms  as  the  posse  chose 
to  dictate.  The  Quincy  committee  went  to  Nauvoo  unarmed, 
taking  no  part  in  the  fight.  They  were,  however,  convinced 
when  they  left  Quincy  that  there  could  be  no  peace  in  Hancock 
County  so  long  as  the  Mormons  remained,  but  they  had  no  part 
in  fixing  the  terms  of  the  treaty.  Their  proposition  had  been 
rejected  by  Brockman's  party  and  posse,  and  they  did  not 
further  urge  their  views  upon  either  party.  The  Mormon 
authorities  signed  the  treaty,  no  doubt  wisely  thinking  that  it 
was  the  best  they  could  do.  The  writer  then  believed  and  now 
believes,  that  the  Quincy  committee  by  their  intervention  and,  if 
you  please,  their  wise  policy,  prevented  the  loss  of  many  lives. 
The  Brockman  party  were  determined  to  march  into  Nauvoo, 
The  Nauvoo  forces,  though  small  in  numbers,  were  courag- 
eously desperate,  and  a  desperate  fight  would  have  ensued.  The 
overpowering  forces  of  the  posse  would  have  insured  their  vic- 
tory, but  not  without  the  loss  of  many  men  on  each  side,  and 
perhaps  the  destruction  of  the  town  itself.  . 


CHAPTER  XV. 


SOME  POLITICAL  ANECDOTES,  EARLY  EVENTS,  AND  MATTERS 

OF  THAT  NATURE  IN  WHICH  QUINCY  WAS  AT  LEAST 

"A  LOOKER-ON  IN  VENICE" — CARVER'S  GRANT 

AND  SOME  POLITICS  OF  QUINCY. 


HH  certainly  do  not  now  here  propose  to  write  anything  in  a 
PH|  mere  partisan  sense.  Our  first  local  excitement  growing 
out  of  proposed  State  legislation  was  in  March  or  February, 
1837.  On  the  27th  of  February,  1837,  the  act  to  establish  and 
maintain  a  general  system  of  internal  improvements  became  a 
law  of  our  State.  Pending  the  consideration  of  this  law,  our 
Senator,  Hon.  O.  H.  Browning,  opposed  and  spoke  against  it, 
whilst  our  Quincy  member  in  the  lower  house,  the  Hon.  James 
H.  Ralston,  was  understood  to  be  in  favor  of  the  law.  A  meet- 
ing of  citizens  was  called  by  Judge  Ralston's  friends  and  was 
held  in  the  Methodist  church.  But  few  attended  this  meeting, 
and  after  some  little  opposition  a  set  of  resolutions  was  passed 
endorsing  the  proposed  law.  No  one  in  the  meeting  fully  under- 
stood the  magnitude  of  the  proposition,  or  even  dreamed  that  it 
would  in  the  end,  including  interest,  cost  the  State  over  twenty 
millions  of  dollars,  and  all  of  which  should  prove  a  dead  loss  to 
the  people  of  the  State.  This  extraordinary  system  of  so-called 
internal  improvements  brought  to  our  city  many  railroad  hands, 
and  during  their  stay  here  they  rather  unbalanced  the  former 
proportion  of  political  parties.  That  old  State  debt  has  been 
fully  paid,  and  though  nothing  is  left  to  the  State  or  to  Quincy 
of  the  work  done  under  the  system  but  some  trenches,  it  has 
been  said  that  in  the  end  the  State  and  our  city  had  really  been 
benefited  by  it.  I  leave  to  my  readers  the  task  of  finding  out 
how.  Perhaps  in  the  end  it  learned  us  to  pay  our  debts  under 


171 

all  circumstances.  Of  such  local  politics  as  especially  affected 
us,  I  do  not  think  it  worth  while  here  to  go  into  any  particulars. 
We  have  had  the  usual  fate  of  growing  cities  in  sometimes 
reaching  results  in  our  elections  not  just  the  fair  thing,  at  least 
as  some  of  us  have  thought  at  the  time,  but  even  this  may  turn 
out  in  the  end  to  be  a  mistake.  Our  representatives  in  the 
Legislature  have  generally  been  honorable  men.  They  have 
fought  for  us  or  against  us  on  some  important  occasions,  as  we 
may  now  look  at  the  effect  of  the  laws  they  approved  or 
opposed.  As  a  city  in  a  State,  questions  of  local  politics  among 
us  have  generally  been  ruled  by  general  party  politics.  We 
have  mainly  been  Whigs,  Democrats,  Republicans,  &c.,  as  these 
names  and  parties  have  been  most  prominent  from  time  to  time. 
With  our  mixed  population,  perhaps  this  has  been  unavoidable. 
Happily  the  constitution  of  Illinois  has  been  so  amended  against 
the  spirit  of  special  legislation,  and  so  prohibiting  the  Legislature 
from  fostering  and  encouraging  the  creation  of  State  or  local 
municipal  debts,  that  it  can  not  now  hurt  the  people  very  bad, 
whatever  they  do  or  omit  to  do. 

The  so-called  institution  of  slavery  having  perished,  that  can 
no  longer  make  it  necessary  for  our  general  government  to 
legislate  in  its  behalf  or  against  it.  That  exorbitant  claim  of 
State  rights,  which,  I  believe,  originated  and  grew  up  under  the 
jealous  care  of  the  slave-holding  States  for  the  protection  of  the 
institution,  will  no  longer  at  least  make  the  South,  or  the  North, 
or  the  West  afraid  to  encourage  American  industries  or  manu- 
factures. When  the  South  was  angry  with  the  North,  and 
when  they  of  the  South  held  that  cotton  was  king  of  England, 
and  that  to  allow  her  to  manufacture  for  them  whilst  the  free 
States  of  the  North  should  be  driven  into  non-protection,  a  con- 
stant struggle  upon  the  subject  became  inevitable.  Now  the 
South  is  beginning  to  manufacture  to  a  large  extent  their  own 
cotton,  and  soon  will  probably  go  back  to  her  old  time  protective 
policy  as  when  Calhoun  was  a  tariff  man.  I  may  state  as  a  fact 
that  the  manufacturers  of  Quincy  are  and  always  have  been 
mainly  for  protection,  and  they  and  others  have  not  so  soon  for- 
gotten the  United  States  internal  revenue  system  during  the  war. 
They  know,  too,  that  the  very  enormous  amount  of  money  now 
needed  by  the  government  to  pay  interest,  pensions  and  yearly 
expenditures  must  be  raised  mainly  from  duties  upon  imports. 
Already,  however,  the  temperance  politicians  are  moving  for 
prohibitive  legislation  against  the  manufacture  of  whisky.  They 


172 

may  not  understand  that  the  $67,000,000  raised  in  1881  from  the 
tax  upon  spirits  manufactured  in  the  United  States,  if  their  policy 
should  be  carried  out,  must  be  raised  upon  something  else,  as 
probably  upon  the  land  or  its  produce,  or  from  both.  If  the 
tariff"  upon  imports  is  now  sufficiently  high,  or  as  some  contend, 
too  high,  an  increase  of  duties  upon  imports  must  amount  to 
such  prohibition  of  imports  as  will  tend  to  decrease  the  revenue 
from  imports,  and  thus  increase  the  amount  of  revenue  to  be 
raised  from  internal  taxation.  Congress,  no  doubt,  has  power 
to  exempt  domestic  spirits  from  taxation  and  to  place  this  sixty- 
seven  millions  of  dollars  derived  from  the  tax  upon  these 
domestic  liquors  upon  the  raw  material  of  which  they  are  made. 
Many  people  are  beginning  to  say  that  if  the  national  govern- 
ment of  the  United  States  has  no  right  to  license  and  protect  the 
manufacture  and  sale  of  spirits  in  a  State  to  the  end  of  raising  a 
revenue  for  its  support,  the  reason  must  be  the  same  as  the  old 
Southern  battle  cry  of  "State  rights,"  State  sovereignty  and  a 
lack  of  constitutional  power.  Indeed,  they  say,  if  the  general 
government  has  no  power  to  raise  revenue  from  a  tax  upon 
spirits  manufactured  in  a  State,  by  reason  of  some  alleged  State 
rights  or  State  sovereignty  theory,  has  it  any  right  to  raise  any 
revenue  at  all  in  any  State?  To  say  that  the  general  govern- 
ment may  license  the  manufacture,  but  the  State  can  prohibit 
the  sale,  is  probably  bad  logic  and  worse  policy. 

The  political  issues  and  principles  which  have  prevailed  with  us 
as  a  city  since  1861  have  drawn  us  away  from  many  of  our  old  time 
issues  in  politics.  If  we  were  all  compelled  to-morrow  to  listen  to 
a  repetition  of  the  great  debate  held  in  Washington  Park  in  1858 
between  those  two  great  men,  Lincoln  and  Douglas,  we  should 
consider  it  a  great  tax  upon  our  patience.  In  1849  Quincy  sent 
a  delegation  to  the  great  St.  Louis  convention  to  start  the  ball 
rolling  which  was  to  open  the  way  for  the  Pacific  railroad. 
Douglas  presided  and  Benton  made  his  great  speech,  but  the 
convention  was  afraid  of  State  sovereignty  so  far  as  to  recom- 
mend that  the  road  should  start  outside  of  State  limits.  Now 
we  all  seem  to  be  for  the  improvement,  at  the  expense  of  the 
United  States,  of  the  great  Mississippi  River  as  it  passes  through 
or  along  the  borders  of  nine  organized  States.  For  many 
years,  so  much  opposed  to  the  doctrines  of  internal  improve- 
ments at  the  hands  of  the  United  States  government  was  the 
southern  Mississippi  States  that  they  did  not  even  ask  the  aid 
of  Congress  in  erecting  barriers  to  keep  these  States  out  of  the 


173 

overflowing  waters  of  the  great  river.  Quincy  is  perhaps  selfishly 
in  favor  of  improving  the  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  River, 
for  we  had  the  river  before  we  had  the  railroads,  and  it  is  yet 
our  best  friend  in  reserve. 

But  I  commenced  this  chapter  with  the  intention  of  noting  down 
some  of  the  great  political  speakers  we  have  had  here  since  I 
have  resided  in  Quincy,  and  somewhat  as  to  what  they  said  and 
what  it  was  all  about.  This,  I  find,  opens  too  large  a  field,  and 
is  more  than  I  can  perform  at  this  time.  I  may  remark  here 
that  in  the  United  States,  since  the  adoption  of  the  Federal  con- 
stitution, we  have  had  but  few  real,  lasting  and  important  issues 
between  parties  and  localities.  The  first  was  the  question  of 
State  rights,  coupled,  as  it  was  at  first,  with  the  slavery  question. 
The  slavery  plank  is  now  withdrawn.  Second,  the  tariff,  or 
duties  upon  imports.  Third,  the  United  States  bank.  Fourth, 
the  question  of  internal  improvements  by  the  general  govern- 
ment. Almost  all  other  questions  arising  from  time  to  time  have 
had  their  day  and  have  passed  away,  whilst  the  substance  of  the 
four  above  named  remain  with  us,  and  are  likely  to  stay  with  us 
in  some  substantial  form  to  the  end.  Among  the  great  men  who 
more  than  once,  in  an  early  day,  came  here  to  make  speeches 
was  Abraham  Lincoln.  The  first  political  speech  I  ever  heard 
of  his  making,  though  I  did  not  hear  it  when  delivered,  was 
made  at  the  little  town  of  Salem,  in  Sangamon  County,  as  early 
as  1833  or  1834.  He  said:  "Fellow  citizens:  Through  the 
solicitations  of  some  friends,  I  am  a  candidate  for  the  Legislature. 
My  speech,  like  an  old  woman's  dance,  will  be  short.  I  am  in 
iavor  of  a  United  States  bank,  of  a  protective  tariff,  and  for 
internal  improvements  at  the  hands  of  the  general  government." 
This,  I  am  assured  by  one  who  heard  it,  was  all  he  said. 

Coming  down  to  the  great  "hard  cider,  log  cabin  and  coon 
skin  campaign"  of  1840,  I  must  tell  my  young  readers  that  the 
Whigs,  to  which  party  I  belonged,  got  the  hurrah  upon  their 
opponents  for  the  first  time.  Log  cabins  on  wheels,  with  coon 
skins  nailed  upon  their  sides,  and  a  barrel  of  hard  cider  inside, 
appeared  in  every  procession.  The  tin  chicken  cocks  upon  tall 
hickory  poles,  raised  by  the  Democrats,  were  nowhere.  The 
Democracy  had  been  in  power  at  Washington  from  the  4th  of 
March,  1829,  to  the  4th  of  March,  1841,  or  for  twelve  years, 
and  the  other  side  were  hungry  for  postoffices,  &c.  I  was  to  be 
Register  of  the  Land  Office  here,  and  would  have  been  but  for 
the  death  of  General  Harrison,  too  soon  to  reach  us.  Mr.  Tyler 


174 

appointed  a  Democrat  and  went  over.  But  General  Taylor  ap- 
pointed me  in  1849,  eight  years  afterwards,  and  when  the  office 
was  worth  nothing. 

Mr.  Van  Buren  had  succeeded  General  Jackson  as  President, 
and  owing  to  a  sort  of  "flush  times  in  Alabama"  and  the  South, 
as  was  alleged  growing  out  of  the  great  inflation  of  worthless 
paper  money  and  the  so-called  pet  bank  system,  Mr.  Van  Buren's 
land  office  receivers,  especially  in  Arkansas,  had  become  also 
inflated,  and  went  into  many  wild  speculations.  One  officer  in 
particular  was  sent  down  there  to  look  after  matters,  there  hav- 
ing been  three  defaulting  receivers  in  succession.  The  first  and 
second  had  been  removed,  and  the  third  had  been  behind  in  his 
returns.  The  government  had  a  set  of  special  agents  and  in- 
spectors who  visited  such  offices  from  time  to  time  to  inspect  the 
books  and  to  see  how  things  were  getting  along.  Near  the  end 
of  Mr.  Van  Buren's  term  of  office  the  government  agent  that 
visited  this  particular  land  office  reported  to  the  Treasury  De- 
partment that  the  receiver  was  no  doubt  a  defaulter,  but  as  his 
predecessors  had  been  larger  defaulters,  and  as  that  kind  of  a 
thing  did  not  seem  to  affect  a  man's  standing  in  that  region,  and 
as  the  present  receiver  seemed  penitent  and  was  already 
sufficiently  gorged,  he,  the  agent,  recommended  that  he  should 
be  let  alone,  as  a  new  appointment  might  bring  additional  loss 
to  the  government.  This  was  the  substance  of  the  letter  as 
published  in  the  report  of  the  Secretary.  Whether  this  receiver 
was  removed  or  not,  I  do  not  know,  but  the  letter  was  "nuts  to 
crack"  for  the  Whigs  in  the  campaign  of  1840.  At  a  big  meet- 
ing in  the  court  house  in  the  early  part  of  the  campaign,  Hon. 
O.  H.  Browning  read  this  so-called  extraordinary  letter,  and 
commented  upon  it  as  he  could  do  in  a  case  in  point,  making 
all  manner  of  fun  over  it  and  likening  it  to  Esop's  fable  of  the 
fox  swimming  a  river  and  getting  entangled  in  some  brambles 
where  the  flies  lit  upon  him  and  was  draining  his  blood,  and 
when  the  friendly  stork  offered  to  drive  the  flies  away  the  fox 
begged  him  not  to  do  so,  as  he  said  these  flies  are  already  suf- 
ficiently gorged,  and  if  now  driven  away  a  more  hungry  swarm 
would  come  and  drain  every  remaining  drop  of  blood  from  his 
veins.  All  this  caused  great  merriment,  and  Mr.  Browning 
feeling  in  a  good  way  for  ridiculing  the  administration,  then  pro- 
ceeded to  read  from  a  public  document,  I  think  one  accompany- 
ing the  annual  report  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  an 
account  of  certain  White  House  expenses,  one  of  the  items  of 


175 

which  was  eighty-five  dollars  for  privet  shears.  Mr.  Browning 
pronounced  it  "privy  shears,"  and  it  may  have  been  so  printed, 
but  I  reckon  the  item  meant  privet  shears,  for  trimming  the  long 
rows  of  privet  hedges  near  the  White  House.  But  the  speaker 
laughingly  exclaimed:  "Now,  what  in  the  name  of  common 
sense  does  any  man  suppose  the  administration  wanted  with 
eighty-five  dollars'  worth  of  privy  shears  ?  Privy  shears,  indeed ! 
Now,  just  look  at  this  list  of  White  House  expenses."  Here  he 
read  many  other  items,  the  prices  of  which  seemed  to  us  plain 
Illinois  people  very  extravagant,  indeed.  By  this  time  the  whole 
audience  was  in  a  roar  of  laughter.  We  had  an  old  citizen  here 
then  who  listened  to  the  speech — honest  old  uncle  Joe  Musser, 
as  he  was  generally  called,  a  gunsmith — and  who  had  always 
been  a  Jackson  man,  but  those  "privy  shears"  was  too  much  for 
him.  He  voted  for  old  Tippecanoe,  and  never  voted  the  Demo- 
cratic ticket  again  as  long  as  he  lived. 

We  have  had  here  from  time  to  time,  during  different  political 
campaigns,  many  distinguished  political  speakers  from  other 
States  besides  our  own,  as  Doolittle,  from  Wisconsin;  Colfax  and 
Hendricks,  from  Indiana;  Governor  Babb  and  Tom  Corwin, 
from  Ohio;  Nye,  of  New  York;  John  P.  Hale,  from  New  Hamp- 
shire; James  Green  and  Dr.  McDowell,  from  Missouri,  besides 
many  others.  I  now  find  at  this  point  that  to  go  into  any  lengthy 
detail  of  the  matter  of  these  speakers  would  precipitate  my 
readers  into  a  discussion  of  many  of  the  dead  issues  of  the  past, 
and  to  be  candid,  would  show  too  strongly  my  individual  notions 
of  these  men  and  of  the  respective  parties  they  have  for  the 
time  represented,  and  I  am  not  writing  for  party.  Of  Mr.  Cor- 
win I  cannot,  however,  omit  to  say  a  word,  as  to  his  appearance 
on  the  speakers'  stand  and  his  manner  of  disposing  of  one  of  the 
subjects  then  being  discussed  all  over  the  country.  As  I  remem- 
ber him,  he  was  of  not  more  than  five  feet  nine  inches  in  height, 
dark  complexioned  and  rather  dark  skinned,  though  not  so  dark 
as  I  had  been  led  to  expect  from  what  I  had  read  of  him. 
He  had  been  represented  for  a  long  time  as  one  of  the  most 
sarcastic  and  funny  speakers  in  the  country.  Here,  however, 
he  seemed  very  quiet  and  rather  tame.  He  used  one  sort  of 
funny,  squinting  and  winking  expression  during  his  speech;  was 
very  conservative  (it  was  in  1860,  I  think)  when  he  came  to  ar- 
gue the  question  as  to  the  power  of  Congress  to  legislate  for  the 
government  of  the  Territories,  he  said,  turning  his  head  to  one 
side,  and  winking  one  eye,  that  he  was  sometimes  surprised  to 


176 

hear  young  lawyers,  who  ought  at  least  to  have  read  Black- 
stone,  deny  that  the  constitution  of  the  United  States  gave  full 
power  to  Congress  to  legislate  lor  the  government  of  the  Terri- 
tories ;  that  the  3d  Section  of  Article  IV,  of  the  United  States  con- 
stution,  in  which  it  is  provided  that  Congress  shall  have  power 
to  dispose  of  and  make  all  needful  rules  and  regulations  respect- 
ing the  Territory  or  other  property  belonging  to  the  United 
States,  gave  no  power  to  Congress  to  legislate  against  the  in- 
troduction of  slavery  into  a  Territory.  Corwin  contended  that 
according  to  Blackstone,  "Law  signifies  a  rule  of  action,  and  a 
rule  of  action  was  a  law;"  that  as  the  constitution  gave  power 
to  Congress  to  make  all  needful  rules  and  and  regulations  re- 
specting the  Territory,  &c.,  that  the  meaning  of  the  word  rules, 
as  above,  was  laws,  and  could  meaning  nothing  else.  I  believe 
that  now,  since  the  power  of  Congress  to  legislate  upon  the 
subject  of  polygamy  and  all  other  crimes  in  the  Territories  is 
being  put  in  practice,  we  are  not  likely  to  have  any  very  narrow 
views  or  theories  put  forth  against  the  constitutional  power  of 
Congress  to  legislate  upon  all  needful  subject  for  our  Territories. 
I  think  there  are  few  of  our  citizens  that  were  here  in  1848, 
during  the  political  campaign  of  that  year,  when  the  Presiden- 
tial candidates  were  Taylor  and  Cass,  that  have  forgotten  Dr. 
McDowell.  We  had  here  that  fall,  not  very  long  before  the 
Presidential  election,  one  of  our  old  time  great  mass  meetings 
in  Washington  Park.  This  great  meeting  was  addressed  at 
night  by  Dr.  McDowell,  of  St.  Louis,  when  a  full  moon  was 
shining,  making  it  as  light  as  day.  The  crowd  in  attendance  was 
very  large,  the  weather  pleasant,  and  the  greatest  enthusiasm 
pervaded  the  whole  assembly.  I  forgot  who  spoke  first, 
but  when  the  time  came  for  the  Doctor,  he  was  received  with 
immense  cheering,  and  sprang  torward  to  the  rail  in  front  of  the 
speakers'  stand  like  a  full-blooded  race-horse  impatient  for  a 
contest.  Beginning  at  once  with  an  apostrophe  to  the  moon  in 
her  glory  and  speaking  of  the  glorious  people,  men  and  women, 
all  around  him,  he  likened  General  Taylor  to  that  resplendent 
luminary  before  him,  high  riding  in  the  heaven.  The  Doctor's 
style  was  always  highly  poetical  and  enthusiastic.  After 
awhile  a  bright  meteor  flashed  athwart  the  sky  in  the  north- 
east, and  caught  the  Doctor's  eye,  when  he  exclaimed:  "Yes, 
there  goes  Cass;  that's  the  last  of  him."  Upon  this,  as  upon 
many  other  occasions  in  the  olden  times,  our  people  had  made 
arrangements  for  the  entertainment  in  families  of  invited  dis- 
tinguished guests.  When  Dr.  McDowell  arrived  here  the  meet- 


177 

ing  was  in  progress,  and  many  from  a  distance  went  to  the 
Quincy  House  or  other  hotels.  Arrangements  had  been  made 
that  Dr.  McDowell  was  to  be  entertained  by  Mr.  Charles  Mor- 
ton, whose  wife  had  formerly  resided  in  St.  Louis  and  was  ac- 
quainted with  the  Doctor  there.  When  Mr.  Morton  found  his 
guest  on  the  square  or  park  he  at  once  invited  him  to  make  his 
house  his  home  whilst  he  stayed  here.  McDowell  accepted  the 
invitation  but  stated  that  his  baggage  was  at  the  Quincy  House. 
Mr.  Morton's  colored  servant  boy  being  near  was  instructed  to 
go  to  the  Quincy  House  and  ask  for  Dr.  McDowell's  baggage, 
and  take  it  home  and  place  it  in  the  room  to  be  occupied  by 
the  Doctor.  All  this  was  promptly  done,  the  Doctor  went  with 
Mr.  Morton  to  dinner  and  was  made  comfortable  during  his  stay 
in  Quincy.  After  the  Doctor  had  left  for  St.  Louis,  the  colored 
boy  one  day  addressing  Mr.  Morton,  said:  "Mars  Charlie,  do 
reclect  sendin'  me  to  the  Quincy  House  for  the  Doctor's  bag- 
gage?" Mr.  Morton  said,  "Yes;  what  of  it?"  The  boy  said, 
"O,  wy,  nothin';  only  I  thought  that  was  curious  baggage." 
"Well,"  said  Mr.  Morton,  "I  hope  you  did  not  meddle  with  Dr. 
McDowell's  baggage."  "O,  no,  sir,"  he  said,  "but  his  carpet- 
sack  was  unlocked  and  unfastened,  and  when  I  sot  it  down  in 
his  room,  its  big  mouth  fell  wide  open,  and  I  could  not  help 
seein'  what  was  in  it."  "Well,"  said  Mr.  Morton,  "I  sqe  you 
want  to  tell  what  you  saw,  what  was  it?"  "Well,  sir,  it 
held  a  big  naked  bowie-knife  a  ioot  and  a  half  long,  and  one 
shirt  collar,  sir,  and  that  was  the  Doctor's  baggage,  sir;  'pon 
my  honor."  Mr.  Morton  told  the  writer  this  story  long  after- 
wards, and  we  of  course  had  a  hearty  laugh  over  it.  I  under- 
stand that  the  Doctor,  like  Mark  Twain's  Christopher  Colombo, 
is  dead  now.  Peace  to  his  ashes. 

Having  herein  given  a  list  of  our  chief  executive  officers  from 
the  beginning,  I  deem  it  proper  to  state  in  a  kind  of  historical 
way,  some  of  the  difficulties  our  mayors  have  had  to  contend 
with  almost  from  the  first.  Our  difficulties  have,  however,  been 
common  to  most  other  cities  in  our  State.  Municipal  elections 
have  generally  been  suffered  by  the  substantial  tax-payers  to  fall 
into  the  hands  of  those  really  least  interested  in  the  permanent 
prosperity  of  the  city.  It  has  been  sometimes  said,  pending  an 
election  for  mayor  and  councilmen,  that  this  or  that  man,  if 
elected,  would  favor  a  policy  which  would  give  large  city  em- 
ployment to  laborers,  whilst  the  other  man  would  not  do  so, 
thus  implying  that  it  was  the  duty  of  the  city  government  to 

12 


178 

furnish  employment  for  every  nominal  resident,  or  even  every 
loafer  that  might  come  to  the  city  in  time  to  vote.  These  and 
such  like  implied  pledges  made  in  the  name  of  the  candidate, 
bound  him,  when  elected,  a  slave  to  a  policy  which  his  judg- 
ment after  election  condemned.  If  has  not  always  happened 
that  the  mayor  thus  elected  could  become  a  free  man,  and  the 
result  has  not  always  been  for  the  benefit  of  the  city.  Our  first 
election  for  mayor  and  councilmen  occurred  in  1840,  forty-two 
years  ago.  '  It  turned  upon  party  lines,  and  for  many  of  those 
forty-two  years,  our  municipal  elections  were  determined  by  the 
strength  of  political  parties.  Once  in  awhile,  and  when  our 
people  seemed  to  weary  of  these  party  lines  in  our  municipal 
elections,  after  a  series  of  inopportune  results,  we  went  in  for 
what  we  called  a  non-partisan  or  so-called  peoples'  ticket  and 
elected  it.  I  now  with  regret  have  to  record  as  a  historical  fact 
that  our  non-partisan  peoples'  ticket  when  elected,  has  not  al- 
ways, if  ever,  improved  our  local  legislation  and  affairs.  I  do 
not  forget  that  in  the  list  of  mayors  of  Quincy  there  occurs  the 
name  of  John  Wood,  who  served  for  several  years.  I  feel  sure 
that  in  respect  to  him,  no  pledges  prior  to  his  elections  were  ever 
given  or  asked  as  to  the  policy  he  would  pursue  in  office.  Some 
forty  years  ago  the  political  parties  of  the  day  in  Quincy  were 
nearly  equal  in  number.  The  embarrassments  of  our  modern 
mayors  in  office  is  somewhat  increased  over  the  difficulties  of 
former  times  in  making  both  ends  meet  in  financial  matters. 
No  doubt  many  other  cities  have  like  troubles.  Now  which- 
ever party  may  be  in  power  will  have  the  same  financial  ques- 
tion to  meet.  The  mayor's  office  is  not  now  a  bed  of  roses — 
without  thorns  at  least.  Our  present  limitation  of  the  power  of 
taxation,  though  seemingly  accidental,  may  turn  out  our  great- 
est protection.  As  a  rational  people,  much  inclined  to  look  into 
the  origin  of  matters  and  things  among  us,  it  is  but  natural  that 
we  should  ask  ourselves  why  the  old  party  line  in  our  politics, 
which  formerly  ran  about  through  the  middle,  should  now  run 
so  near  to  one  side,  making  an  unfair  divide  in  favor  of  the 
largest  side.  Perhaps,  owing  to  the  large  accession  of  Roman 
Catholic  voters  from  Europe,  the  majorities  have,  as  all  know, 
fallen  upon  the  Democratic  side.  On  the  ist  of  May,  1844,  the 
Whig  national  convention  met  at  Baltimore  and  nominated  for 
President,  Henry  Clay,  of  Kentucky,  and  Theodore  Freling- 
huysen,  of  New  Jersey,  for  Vice-President.  It  is  alleged  as  a 
fact,  and  I  believe  never  disputed  that  not  long  before,  there  had 


179 

been  a  convention  of  Protestants  at  Philadelphia  which  organized 
what  it  called  an  "Anti-Catholic  League,"  placing,  as  it  was 
alleged,  Mr.  Frelinghuysen  at  its  head  as  President.  When  he 
was  thus  presented  to  the  country  as  a  candidate  for  Vice-Presi- 
dent, the  Democratic  papers  were  not  long  silent  in  publishing  the 
fact  that  he  was  also  president  of  the  "Anti-Catholic  League." 
I  think  that  I  now  remember  not  one,  or  at  least,  not  more  than 
one  or  two  Catholic  Whigs  in  Quincy  who  voted  for  Mr.  Clav, 
because  in  voting  for  him  they  would  be  compelled  to  vote  for 
Mr.  Frelinghuysen  also.  I  now  refer  to  this  little  episode  in 
history  as  probably  throwing  some  light  upon  the  history  of  the 
political  parties  in  certain  localities  in  the  United  States  ever 
since.  I  also  here  suggest  that  it  may  be  doubted  whether  if 
even  Grant  was  President  of  an  "Anti-Methodist  League,"  the 
Methodists  would  vote  for  him.  This  nomination  of  Freling- 
huysen with  Mr.  Clay,  in  1844,  it  is  believed,  lost  the  State  of 
New  York  to  the  Whigs.  Mr.  Polk's  majority  in  that  State 
was  only  5,106  votes.  A  very  large  French  and  other  Catholic 
vote  in  the  City  of  New  York,  otherwise  for  Clay  were  driven 
from  him  because  they  could  not  vote  for  Clay  without  also 
casting  a  vote  for  Frelinghuysen.  I  do  not  know  that  Mr. 
Frelinghuysen  even  attended  the  convention  which  appointed 
him  President  of  that  League,  or  that  he  ever  accepted  the 
office,  or  acted  in  any  way  with  the  "Anti-Catholic  League." 
He  was,  as  I  understand,  a  Presbyterian  as  was  also  General 
Jackson.  Polk,  as  I  have  understood,  was  a  Methodist.  His- 
torically, we  now  all  remember  that  during  the  French  Revolution 
Democracy  was  rather  hard  upon  the  Church,  and  taking  a  side 
glance  of  events  then  and  since  of  the  European  field  of  politics, 
I  do  not  see  that  Catholics  should  necessarily  vote  the  Demo- 
cratic ticket  oftener  than  they  vote  the  Republican  or  any  other 
ticket.  The  Bourbon  Democracy  of  the  country  is  credited 
with  holding  no  unfriendly  attitude  towards  the  Roman  Catho- 
lics. In  this  they  have  a  perfect  right  to  act  as  they  please.  I 
know  that  there  are  a  few  good  Catholics  who  are  also  Repub- 
licans, and  in  conclusion  I  resist  in  behalf  of  my  Democratic 
friends  the  idea  that  old  Bourbon  has  anything  to  do  with  the 
matter.  Setting  out  as  I  did  with  the  intention  to  steer  clear  of 
mere  party  politics,  I  do  not  know  but  that  some  of  my  readers 
may  at  first  reading  feel  that  I  have  in  the  loregoing  remarks 
stepped  outside  of  the  ropes;  but  to  conclude  in  good  humor,  I 
I  offer  the  following  from  the  Detroit  Free  Press,  with  the  re- 
quest that  the  reader  may  make  his  own  application  or  none: 


180 

"WE  MUST  HAVE  REFORM"— A  FABLE. 

One  day  a  Lobster,  who  had  been  beaten  at  Old  Sledge,  went  over  to  see 
the  Shark  about  it,  and  the  two  poor  souls  talked  it  over,  wiped  their  eyes, 
and  finally  decided  to  call  a  reform  convention.  A  call  was  written  out, 
signed  "Many  Citizens,"  and  duly  posted  so  that  all  might  read.  When  the 
hour  arrived  it  brought  the  Shark,  the  Lobster,  the  Devil  Fish,  the  Wolf, 
the  Tiger,  the  Eagle,  the  Serpent,  and  the  Alligator,  and  it  was  really 
affecting  to  see  their  tears  as  they  shook  hands  and  spoke  of  the  painful 
necessity  that  had  brought  them  together. 

The  Shark  took  the  chair  and  announced  that  he  was  a  strong  advocate 
of  reform.  He  had  heard  of  the  Wolf  eating  sheep,  and  he  felt  that  such 
things  must  be  stopped,  or  the  country  would  be  lost. 

"If  it's  any  worse  to  eat  sheep  than  sailors,  then  I  want  to  know  it!"  re- 
torted the  Wolf.  "Besides  that,  it  is  the  Tiger  who  raises  all  this  outcry 
by  his  misdeeds.  I  move  you,  sir,  that  he  be  reformed." 

"Gentlemen,"  slowly  remarked  the  Tiger,  as  he  rose  up,  "I've  been 
maliciously  slandered.  I'm  a  peaceful,  law-abiding  citizen,  and  I  think  it 
too  bad  that  every  murder  committed  by  the  Devil  Fish  should  be  laid  at 
my  door.  I  hope  he  will  reform." 

"Mr.  Chairman,  I'm  astonished,"  remarked  the  Devil  Fish,  as  he  took 
the  floor.  "I  suppose  you  all  know  me  to  be  one  of  the  humblest,  feeblest 
creatures  in  the  world.  I  wouldn't  hurt  anybody  for  a  cent,  but  it  is  the 
Alligator  and  his  doings  which  has  made  this  convention  necessary." 

"That's  another !"  exclaimed  the  Alligator,  as  he  left  his  chair.  "For 
years  past  I  have  borne  the  odium  of  crimes  committed  by  the  Eagle,  and 
I'll  be  hanged  if  I  stand  it  any  longer !  Reform  must  begin  with  the 
Eagle." 

"I  rise  to  say,"  explained  the  Eagle,  "that  I  look  so  much  like  the  Ser- 
pent that  he  shoulders  his  misdeeds  off  on  my  back.  I  hope  the  conven- 
tion will  hurt  his  feelings  as  he  has  hurt  mine." 

"Well,  now,  but  I  am  surprised,"  observed  the  Serpent.  "The  wicked 
Lobster  has  so  managed  that  I  must  suffer  for  his  crimes.  He  comes  on 
shore,  kills  an  ox  or  a  horse,  directs  the  finger  of  suspicion  at  me,  and 
then  hustles  back  to  his  water  home  and  is  safe.  Gentlemen,  I  ask  to  be 
set  aright  in  the  eyes  of  the  world." 

The  Lobster  arose,  heaved  a  deep  sigh  as  he  looked  around,  and  then 
said: 

"If  the  Fish  Worm  had  been  invited  to  this  convention  I  should  have 
had  a  chance  to  clear  myself,  by  charging  him  with  having  committed 
crime  in  my  name.  Under  the  circumstances,  I  move  that  we  adopt  a 
resolution  to  the  effect  that  that  the  Hare  must  be  hung  for  highway  rob- 
bery, and  then  adjourn." 

Moral :    Never  begin  a  reform  at  home. 

As  appertaining  to  early  discoveries  and  movements  upon  the 
upper  Mississippi  River,  I  note  here  what  I  had  before  forgotten, 
that  Captain  Jonathan  Carver,  a  descendant  of  John  Carver,  the 
first  Governor  of  Plymouth  Colony,  arrived  in  Mackinaw  (then 
the  outlying  British  post)  from  Boston  in  August,  1767.  Some 
weeks  thereafter,  accompanied  by  friendly  Indian  guides,  he 
started  for  the  Mississippi  River,  coming  down  the  Wisconsin 


181 

River  to  its  junction  with  the  Mississippi,  reaching  it  nearly  one 
hundred  years  after  Marquette  had  been  there,  and  about  thirty- 
seven  years  before  Pike's  trip  up  to  the  Falls.  Carver,  turning 
up  the  river  with  his  birch  canoes,  made  his  way  against  the 
current  up  to  and  beyond  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony.  He  was  of 
course  a  British  subject,  and,  it  is  alleged,  went  upon  his  expe- 
dition under  the  patronage  and  friendship  of  the  officers  of  the 
crown,  and,  it  is  claimed,  that  he  made  a  treaty  with  the 
Dakotas  in  behalf  of  the  king  of  Great  Britain.  Captain  Carver 
claimed  that  he  had  received  a  deed  or  grant,  called  Carver's 
grant  from  the  Indians  for  an  immense  tract  of  country,  embrac- 
ing what  is  now  the  best  part  of  Central  Minnesota,  which  deed 
was  lost.  He  died  in  England  in  1780.  In  1822  his  descendants 
appealed  to  Congress  for  a  confirmation  of  a  grant  of  land  from 
certain  Indians,  &c.  The  claim,  after  consideration,  was  dis- 
allowed. One  of  our  old  citizens,  Willard  Keyes,  Esq.,  in- 
formed me  that  he  had  in  early  times  been  written  to  by  a  cler- 
gyman of  the  Church  of  England,  who  was  of,  or  claimed  to 
represent  the  descendants  in  England  of  Jonathan  Carver,  upon 
the  subject  of  Carver's  grant.  Mr.  Keyes,  I  think,  understood 
the  history  and  origin  of  the  claim  from  letters  in  his  possession 
better  than  any  one  in  this  country.  He  seemed  to  think  the 
claim  meritorious.  But  since  the  decisive  rejection  of  the  claim 
by  Congress,  Carver's  grant  may  be  considered  dead.  I  have 
mentioned  this  expedition  of  Jonathan  Carver  up  to  St.  Anthony's 
Falls  as  early  as  1768,  as  an  important  event  in  the  history  of 
the  great  river  at  our  feet,  and  I  would  not  have  our  people  to 
forget  any  part  of  its  history. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


CONCERNING  BUSINESS  MEN  AND  SOME  OTHER  MATTERS  FROM 

1867  TO  1870  AND  UP  TO  1880 — AND,  IN  FART, 

QUINCY  AS  SHE  Is — CHURCHES,  &c. 


|HE  period  from  1867  to  1870,  and  substantially  from  1870 
to  1880,  will  bring  us  to  this  concluding  chapter.  I  have 
given  a  short  or  bird's-eye  view  of  business  in  Quincy  in  1867, 
and  at  first  passing  over  the  period  from  that  date  to  the  year 
1870  and  thence  to  the  present  time,  substantially  embracing  a 
period  of  thirteen  years.  We  had  among  us  some  ten  years  ago 
a  number  of  men  of  to-day,  but  many  of  those,  like  their  prede- 
cessors, and  even  some  of  their  successors,  have  gone.  Like 
the  Arabs,  folded  their  tents  for  greener  pastures — not  found. 
Indeed,  since  my  first  residence  in  Quincy,  forty-eight  years  ago, 
so  many  of  the  men  here  with  whom  the  writer  was  in  friendly 
acquaintance  have  died,  that  it  sometimes  looks  to  me  as  if  life 
itself  had  been  a  stupendous  joke,  and  that  omnipotent  death 
was  after  all  our  surest  and  perhaps  our  best  friend.  It  is  not 
my  expectation  to  try  to  mention  the  names  of  all  our  people 
here  in  business  within  even  the  last  ten  years,  but  only  such  as 
I  may  remember  or  find  by  consulting  our  ordinary  or  special 
advertising  mediums,  deeming  it  proper,  however,  to  state  here 
that  I  do  not  believe  the  changes  in  business  men,  or  by  the  fiat 
of  death,  has  been  greater  here  than  in  other  like  communities. 
In  my  first  chapter — "An  Outline  of  Quincy  as  She  is  Now"- 
which  probably  should  be  our  last,  I  have  made  somewhat 
mention  of  some  of  our  present  business  men.  In  this,  intended 
as  my  closing  chapter,  I  make  mention,  by  a  simple  record  of 
names,  those  I  remember  here  thirteen  years  ago,  as  follows: 

L.  &  C.  H.  Bull,  bankers;  T.  Butterworth,  agricultural  depot; 
Bartlett  &  Co.,  grocers  333;  Bradley  &  Jocelyn,  commission 


183 

merchants;  J.  M.  D.  Bartlett,  newsdealer,  books,  &c.;  Robert 
Bunce,  architect;  Bagby  &  Wood,  Castle  Mills;  Bertschinger 
&  Stein wedell,  hardware  merchants;  Brown  &  Pope,  boots  and 
shoes;  Comstock,  Castle  &  Co.,  stove  works;  Eagle  Mills; 
Excelsior  Stove  Works;  Gardner  &  Robertson,  hardware;  J. 
F.  Hug,  bath  rooms;  Hargis  &  Sommer,  Star  Nursery;  Harris, 
Beebe  &  Co.,  Empire  Tobacco  Works;  M.  Jacobs,  clothing 
merchant;  Joseph  &  Nelke,  dry  goods  merchants;  S.  J.  Lesem, 
Bro.  &  Co.,  wholesale  dry  goods  house ;  J.  D.  Levy  &  Co.,  whole- 
sale clothing  store ;  F.  W.  Jansen  &  Son,  furniture  manufacturers ; 
Ladd  &  Talcott,  wholesale  notions ;  Montgomery  &  Co.,  whole- 
sale drug  house;  George  A.  Miller,  druggist;  Louis  Pfau, 
tinner;  William  Osborn,  grocery  store;  John  Potter,  wooden 
ware  worker;  George  R.  Pfeiffer,  music  dealer;  Pope  &  Bald- 
win, agricultural  implements;  W.  T.  &  E.  A.  Rogers,  manufac- 
turers of  wagons,  plows,  &c.;  S.  T.  Sinnock  &  Co.,  Quincy 
Nursery;  H.  Schrceder,  drug  store;  J.  M.  Smith  &  Co.,  agri- 
cultural warehouse;  J.  M.  Smith  &  Co.,  pork  packers  and  com- 
mission merchants;  W.  M.  Robertson,  marble  works;  Ricker  & 
Co.,  bankers;  Smith,  Hayner  &  Co.,  Eagle  Foundry;  Peter  & 
WaddelV^iatters;  H.  Ridder  &  Co.,  crockery  house;  H.  Witte 
&  Co.,  packing  house ;  J.  Williams  &  Co.,  City  Foundry  and 
Machine  Shop;  Thomas  White,  Quincy  Stove  Foundry;  L.  D. 
White,  stove  dealer,  &c. ;  Wheeler,  Andrews  &  Co.,  grocers; 
E.  C.  Whitmore  &  Co.,  City  Mills;  T.  D.  Woodruff,  music 
dealer;  T.  T.  Woodruff,  banker;  William  L.  A.  Kolker,  grocery 
and  liquor  house ;  Jacob  Metz,  harness,  &c. ;  A.  Lichteberger  & 
Co.,  liquor  house;  Coolidge  &  Wells,  canned  fruit  establish- 
ment; E.  M,  Miller  &  Co.,  carriage  manufacturers;  D.  E. 
Lynds,  white  lead,  varnishes,  oil,  &c. ;  Morphy  &  Charles,  paper 
bag  manufacturers;  Rosenheim  &  Stern,  boots,  shoes,  &c.; 
W.  J.  Mellon,  school  furniture ;  Letton  &  Viberts,  painters ;  Wayne 
Brothers,  carriage  manufacturers;  C.  Haubach,  upholsterer; 
George  J.  Laage,  hat  and  cap  house;  Wheeler  &  Stewart,  dry 
goods;  N.  G.  Pearson,  hair  jewelry;  Folger  &  Robinson,  en- 
gravers; R.  B.  Lord,  spring  beds;  Ladd  &  Byerly,  dry  goods; 
H.  A.  Williamson,  commission  merchant;  Simmons'  Sash  Sup- 
porters; Max  Rau,  merchant  tailor;  John  Potter,  manufacturer, 
&c. ;  William  Harvey,  agent  Empire  Line. 

Besides  these  names  of  men  and  firms,  we  had  in  1870,  no 
doubt,  many  more  of  what  may  be  called  business  men  here, 
(perhaps  more  in  number  than  those  named,)  and  many  of  those 


184 

mentioned,  and  many  not  mentioned,  are  still  here,  but  more 
than  thirty  of  those  named  above  are  either  dead,  gone  away, 
or  are  no  longer  in  business  here,  whilst  many  have  come  in 
since  1870  to  fill  up  the  ranks  and  even  to  increase  the  number. 
Perhaps  I  should  say  something  of  our  churches.  The  fol- 
lowing are  their  names  and  locations: 

EPISCOPAL. 

St.  John's  Cathedral,  corner  Hampshire  and  Seventh  streets. 
Church  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  Twelfth  street,  between  Maine 
and  Hampshire  streets. 

St.  Alban's  Chapel,  near  Highland  addition,  on  Spruce  street. 

ROMAN  CATHOLIC. 

St.  Boniface  Church,  corner  Maine  and  Seventh  streets — the 
oldest. 

St.  Peter's  Church,  corner  Maine  and  Eighth  streets. 

St.  Francis'  Church,  Vine  street,  between  Eighteenth  and 
Twentieth  streets. 

St.  Mary's  Church,  corner  Seventh  and  Adams  streets. 

St.  Joseph's  Church,  corner  Seventh  and  Jersey  streets. 

St.  John's  Church,  Spruce  street,  between  Tenth  and  Eleventh 
streets. 

St.  Aloysius'  Chapel,  corner  Vine  and  Twentieth  streets. 

PRESBYTERIAN. 

First  Presbyterian    Church,   corner    Broadway  and  Eighth 
streets. 
Spruce  Street  Chapel,  corner  Spruce  and  Seventh  'streets, 

LUTHERAN  AND  EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN. 

Salem  Church,  corner  State  and  Ninth  streets. 
St.  Jacob's  Church,  corner  Washington  and  Eighth  streets. 
Zion,  Ninth  street,  between  Ohio  street  and  Payscn  avenue. 
St.  John's  Church,  Seventh  street,  between  York  and  Ken- 
tucky streets. 
'  St.  Peter's  Church,  corner  Ninth  and  Kentucky  streets. 

HEBREW  OR  ISRAELITE. 

Ninth  Street  Temple,  Ninth  street,  between  Broadway  and 
Spring  streets. 

CONGREGATIONAL. 

Union  Congregational  Church,  corner  Maine  and  Twelfth 
streets — perhaps  the  best  in  the  city. 


185 
BAPTIST. 

First  Baptist  Church,  corner  Jersey  and  Fourth  streets. 
Vermont  Street  Baptist  Church,  corner  Vermont  and  Seventh 
streets. 

Spruce  Street  Chapel,  corner  Spruce  and  Fifth  streets. 
First  Colored  Baptist  Church,  corner  Eighth  and  Jersey  streets. 

CHRISTIAN. 

Christian  Church,  corner  Ninth  street  and  Broadway. 
METHODIST  EPISCOPAL. 

Vermont  Street  M.  E.  Church,  corner  Vermont  and  Eighth 
streets. 

Trinity  M.  E.  Church,  corner  Jersey  and  Fifth  streets. 

German  M.  E.  Church,  Jersey  street,  between  Fifth  and  Sixth 
streets. 

Mission  Chapel,  corner  Jefferson  and  Twelfth  streets. 

Artus  Chapel,  corner  Hampshire  and  Twentieth  streets. 

African  M.  E.  Church,  Oak  street,  between  Ninth  and  Tenth 
streets. 

UNITARIAN. 

Unitarian  Church,  or  Second  Congregational,  Maine  street, 
between  Sixth  and  Seventh  streets. 

It  may  be  stated  that  the  total  value  of  church  edifice  property 
in  Quincy  is  now  estimated  at  not  less  than  $1,000,000,  and  if 
taxed  at  the  rate  of  5  per  cent,  would  produce  the  amount  of 
$50,000;  or  if  taxed  at  the  rate  of  2^  per  cent,  the  tax  would 
amount  to  $25,000  per  annum.  We  do  not  recommend  this 
taxation. 

CHARITABLE  INSTITUTIONS. 

First,  St.  Mary's  Hospital. 

Second,  the  Widows'  and  Orphans'  Homei 

Third,  Blessing  Hospital  and  Sarah  Denman  Hospital. 

Fourth,  Orphans'  Home,  Vine  street. 

Fifth,  the  Lindsay  Church  Home. 

Next  to  religion  in  civilized  communities  comes  learning  or 
education.  Perhaps  one  of  the  best  features  of  our  times, 
especially  in  the  United  States,  is  our  attempts  to  extend  the  ad- 
vantages of  education  to  all  classes  of  our  people.  Of  the  schools 
and  process  of  learning  existing  in  the  world  up  to  and  prior  to 
the  days  of  Constantine  the  Great,  and  especially  as  regarded 
the  masses  of  the  people,  we  know  but  little.  Certainly  nothing 


186 

worthy  of  imitation.     After  the  world  became  Christian,  or  at 
least  our  world,  both  education  and  religion  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  priests.     They  did  their  work  well,  or  at  least  partially 
well,  within  a  limited  sphere.     There  was  for  long  periods  of 
time  no  important  divisions  in  the  religious,  or  at  least  Christian 
world,  and  when  afterwards  divisions  came,  those  who  fell  into 
new  ideas  were  cut  off  as  sects.     In  those  times  the  word  seel, 
in  the  language  in  use  by  Shakspeare,  meant  a  cutting,  as  in 
the  use  of  the  word  sect  by  gardeners.      In   the   language  of 
Granville,  the  word  sectarian  was  defined  simply  as  belonging  to 
sectaries.     Sectarianism,  in   the  language  of  King  Charles  I., 
meant  a  disposition  to  petty  sects  in  opposition  to  things  estab- 
lished.    The  word  sectary,  according  to  Lord  Bacon,  meant  one 
who  divides  from  public  establishment  and  joins  with  those  dis- 
tinguished by  some  particular  whims.     The  Roman   Catholic 
Church  has,  from  her  standpoint,  consistently  always  held  that 
all  religious  bodies  outside  of  her  communion  were  not  only  sects, 
but  to  some  extent  schismatics.     The  constitution  of  the  United 
States  prohibits  the  establishment  by  the  State  of  any  religion. 
Our  own  laws  in  effect  declare  all  who  have  any  distinctive  views 
or  doctrines,  or  who  adhere  to  any  particular  name  or  organiza- 
tion or  system  of  doctrines,  sectarians.     In  other   words,  in  a 
general  or  legal  sense  all  who  believe  anything  in  a  religious 
way  are  sects  or  sectarians,  or  at  least  have  no  rights  in  law 
above  all  others.     I  do  not  mean  to  argue  or  say  that  there  is  no 
Catholic  or  Protestant  Church;  in  fact,  our  laws,  like  some  of 
the  border  States  during  the  rebellion,  are  "neutral,  sir,"  upon 
that  subject.     This  necessarily  makes  our  common  schools  un- 
sectarian,  leaving  religion  to  be  learned  or  taught  at  home,  or 
by  the  religious  teacher  each  parent  or  guardian  may  prefer. 
If  there  ever  was  a  time  when  the  Church  alone  had  exclusive 
authority  to  teach  all  learning,  that   time  in  this  country  has 
forever  past,  and  we  have  by  the  laws  of  necessity  come  to  our 
common  school  system  as  applicable  to  the  masses  of  our  people. 
I  do  not  propose  to  step  in  between  those  who  are  by  law  en- 
trusted with  the  management  of  our  common  schools  and  the 
communities  they  represent,  but  earnestly  invoke  the  kindly  aid 
of  all  men  in  their  behalf. 

Quincy  is  not,  however,  without  other  institutions  of  learning 
outside  of  her  common  schools.  There  is  not  now,  nor  should 
there  perhaps  ever  be,  any  law  compelling  people  to  send  their 
children  to  the  common  schools,  if  they  prefer  to  send  them  to 
other  schools  of  their  choice. 


187 

Our  colleges  are  those  of  St.  Francis,  on  Vine  street,  and 
Chaddock  College,  corner  of  State  and  Twelfth  streets.  These 
two  institutions  are  colleges  proper,  whilst  besides  our  High 
School  we  have  St.  Boniface's  large  school,  corner  of  Seventh 
and  Hampshire  streets,  St.  Mary's  Institute,  on  Eighth  street, 
and  our  Commercial  School  or  College,  on  Maine  street.  There 
are  a  number  of  private  schools  in  the  city.  So  that  we  are 
not  without  schools  and  institutions  of  learning,  fully  up  to  our 
reasonable  needs  and  demands.  Though  many  of  our  young 
men  seeking  a  higher  plane  of  education  and  better  oysters  and 
things,  go  oft'  to  Harvard  or  Yale  or  even  Heidelberg  or  Ox- 
ford— though  we  dare  not  say  that  some  of  them  "didn't  learn 
a  hooter,"  as  was  said  by  one  of  our  early  inhabitants  about  his 
daughter  Lizzie,  who  went  to  our  first  common  school  for  three 
days: 

But,  gentle  reader,  I  must  not  omit  to  mention,  that  besides 
our  churches  and  schools  we  have  something  else.  The  thun- 
dering car  of  progress,  as  it  hurried  down  the  ages,  passed  our 
station  and  left  with  us  numerous  societies  for  the  amelioration 
of  mankind.  Of  these  open  societies,  not  secret,  I  do  not  pro- 
pose to  speak,  because  the  public,  from  the  nature  of  their  ob- 
jects, and  especially  the  money  side,  have  never  been  long 
ignorant  of  either  their  needs  or  transactions.  But  of  our  secret 
societies,  I  must  not  do  Quincy  the  injustice  of  at  least  not  men- 
tioning them,  or  such  of  them  as  we  read  about  in  our  papers. 
Our  first  secret  society  was  Bodley  Lodge  No.  97,  of  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons,  deriving  its  first  charter  and  dispensation 
from  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Kentucky.  The  petition  for  the  or- 
ganization of  this  lodge  was  forwarded  in  1835,  anc*  the  lodge 
here  was  first  installed  by  Henry  H.  Snow,  Esq.,  in  1835,  or 
probably  not  till  1836.  The  petitioners  for  the  first  dispensation 
were  John  Wood,  Daniel  Harrison,  Joseph  N.  Ralston,  Samuel 
W.  Rogers,  Hiram  Rogers,  Samuel  Alexander,  Daniel  Whipple, 
Henry  Asbury,  and  several  others  whose  names  are  not  now 
before  me.  They  are  all  dead  but  the  writer.  Before  the  final 
charter  was  issued  a  number  of  other  names  were  added  to  the 
petition,  and  thus  became  charter  members.  The  installation 
ceremonies  were  held  in  the  office  of  Dr.  Ralston  on  Maine 
street.  When  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Illinois  was  afterwards  or- 
ganized, our  number  of  97  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Kentucky 
was  changed  to  No.  i,  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Illinois.  Bodley 
Lodge  No.  i,  of  Quincy,  is  thus  historically,  the  oldest  of  the 


188 

present  lodges  of  the  State,  and  is  the  parent  lodge  of  the  other 
lodges  here  now.  I  have  mentioned  these  names  of  the  original 
petitioners  to  the  end  that  our  readers  may  know  what  sort  of 
of  men  it  was  that  organized  here  this  first  secret  society.  Be- 
sides the  several  Blue  Lodges  here  (so-called,  1  think,  from  their 
colors  worn  in  procession)  we  have  several  Royal  Arch  Chapters 
and  one  or  more  encampments  of  Knights  Templar. 

In  the  Quincy  Whig,ot May  i5th,  1877,  appeared  the  follow- 
ing article,  intended  to  be  a  little  funny  and  sarcastic,  which  was 
furnished  by  the  writer.  But  my  readers  must  not  suppose  I 
intended  anything  obnoxious  to  our  side : 

YES,  WE  ARE  PROGRESSING. 

To  the  Editor  of  The  Whig:  We  are  within  twenty-three  years  of  the 
end  of  the  nineteenth  century,  a  century  which  has  and  is  developing 
great  real  progress  among  men.  It  is  said  that  perhaps  before  the  end  of 
this,  the  greatest  century  in  the  tide  of  time,  mankind  will  have  so  far 
•progressed  as  to  be  fully  able  to  comprehend  and  explain  the  very  origin 
of  matter  itself,  and  its  laws.  In  this  case  we  shall  be  as  gods;  not 
only  "knowing  good  and  evil,"  but  shall  be  able  to  explain  what  we  call 
the  creation.  It  is  said  that  our  present  generation  has  a  great  want  of 
credulity  or  capacity  for  easiness  of  belief,  in  the  so-called  supernatural, 
and  that  we  even  hold  too  lightly  systems  of  morals,  alleged  to  be  founded 
upon  religions,  claiming  that  the  kind  of  morals  will  depend  upon  the 
kind  of  religion — different  religions  producing  different  morals.  Of  the 
progress  of  our  century  on  what  we  call  arts,  sciences,  and  discoveries, 
there  is  none  to  deny.  But  if  we  should  come  to  a  definite  understanding 
with  ourselves  concerning  our  views  upon  what  we  call  religion  and 
morals,  and  the  so-called  supernatural,  pro  and  con,  we  should  probably 
find  very  little  to  boast  of,  upon  the  score  of  progress.  The  Frenchman, 
you  know,  said  of  America :  "Mon  Dieu!  what  a  country  I  A  hundred  re- 
ligions and  but  one  gravy." 

To  say  nothing  of  our  churches  and  religious  denominations,  Jew  and 
Gentile,  right  here  among  us  in  Quincy,  let  us  turn  our  attention  to  what 
are  called  secret  societies,  we  have  first,  Free  Masons;  second,  Knights  Tem- 
plar; third,  Druids;  fourth,  Knights  of  Pythias;  fifth,  the  Heptasophs; 
sixth,  The  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen;  seventh,  The  Harugari; 
eighth,  The  Knights  of  Malta;  ninth,  The  Odd  Fellows;  tenth,  The  Order 
of  the  Red  Men;  The  Union  League,  Sons  of  Liberty,  The  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  The  Sons  of  Temperance,  The  Moulders'  Union,  and  at  least 
a  half  a  dozen  others.  Now  every  man  belonging  to  but  one  of  these  or* 
ders,  or  societies,  will,  no  doubt,  tell  you,  if  he  speaks  candidly,  that  all  the 
rest  are  humbugs.  The  fact  that  such  diverse  organizations  can  exist  at 
all  in  this  enlightened  century  is  a  surprise  to  all  men  except  as  to  the  one 
or  more  of  such  societies  to  which  the  man  who  thinks  about  it  belongs 
himself.  Yet  we  live  in  an  enlightened  and  progressive  age.  We  are  dis* 
carding  the  supernatural  and  mysterious,  we  are  told.  Just  look  at  that 
young  man,  for  the  first  time  in  uniform,  on  parade  with  his  society.  Per-1 
haps  he  wears  white  gloves  and  apron,  perhaps  he  wears  a  purple  velvet 
collar  with  golden  stars  upon  it,  or  perhaps  in  a  hurry  to  appear  in  uni- 


189 

form  he  exhibits  his  shirt  outside  of  his  breeches.  In  either  case  he 
marches  with  a  firm  and  military  step,  maintaining  a  solemn  look  and  a 
steadiness  of  demeanor  truly  wonderful.  Perhaps  another  carries  a  stick 
with  a  half  moon  on  the  end  of  it.  If  so  he  is  a  Druid  sure.  Perhaps  an- 
other wears  a  sword,  plume  and  sash  and  is  the  warrior  all  over,  but,  never 
mind;  neither  he  nor  another  will  hurt  you.  It  all  only  means  that  "the 
boys  are  marching."  Our  philosophical  century  demands  progress,  you 
know,  and  here  it  is. 

The  reader  must  not  understand  that  I  am  objecting  to  any- 
thing. No  doubt  all  these  organizations  are  very  good  for  those 
who  like  them  and  that  sort  of  thing. 

Perhaps  the  most  important  concern  of  Quincy  now  is  our  city 
debt.  The  writer  would  not  feel  himself  excused  if  he  passed 
by  this  question  without  note  or  comment.  I  resided  here  be- 
fore Quincy  had  any  debt,  railroads,  gas  works,  water  works, 
fire  department,  a  police  system,  or  even  expensive  common 
schools,  and  almost  no  taxes.  But  those  were  the  days  of  small 
things.  As  late  as  April,  1846,  or  thirty-six  years  ago,  one  of 
our  city  papers  charged  against  the  Whigs  as  follows : 

| 

LARGE  CITY  DEBT. 

The  actual  debt  of  the  City  of  Quincy,  according  to  the  published  report, 
is  $26,000.48 ! !  To  meet  this  enormous  debt,  the  city  has  owing  to  it  some 
$6,819.55  in  vouchers  to  be  cancelled,  old  debts,  good,  bad  and  indifferent. 
The  Whig  board  has  inceased  this  debt  during  the  last  year,  and  if  kept  in 
office,  will  continue  to  increase  it.  Are  the  people  willing  to  sanction  an  in- 
crease of  city  indebtedness  by  electing  "the  same  class  of  men"  who  have  so 
mismanaged  the  affairs  of  the  city  from  the  beginning — and  who  were  the 
"class"  that  first  created  this  debt  ?" 

In  the  same  number  of  the  paper  it  is  stated,  as  taken  from 
the  report  made  to  the  City  Council  for  that  year  that  the  ex- 
penses of  the  city  government  for  the  year  were  $1,228.47,  ex- 
cepting aldermen,  *'.  £.,  their  two  dollars  per  sitting.  Our  debt 
then  had  been  nearly  all  contracted  for  grading  of  streets  and 
city  improvements.  John  Wood  was  mayor  for  1845  and  1846. 
In  1845,  a  majority  of  the  six  aldermen  were  Whigs;  in  1846, 
there  were  three  of  each  party  in  the  Council.  The  "gazelle" 
in  the  form  of  railroad  debt  had  not  yet  come  in. 

It  is  not  my  intention  to  go  over  in  detail  the  origin  of  our 
corporation  city  debt.  I  have  had  my  share,  pro  and  con,  in 
that  behalf,  in  common  with  our  people  ad  nauseam,  but  gener- 
ally I  have  had  my  opinions  upon  most  subjects.  Many  of  these 
opinions  I  have  from  time  to  time  been  compelled  to  change. 
Perhaps  I  and  some  others  are  a  little  like  the  old  fellow  in  the 
comic  almanac  who,  being  charged  toll  upon  the  first  turnpike 


190 

road  he  ever  saw,  declared  himself  "an  enemy  to  turnpikes."  I 
do  like  to  go  back  upon  our  pathway  as  a  town  and  city  to  the 
time  when  we  were  not  seriously  in  debt.  In  reference  to  April, 
1848,  we  find  the  annual  statement  of  the  affairs  of  the  City  of 
Quincy,  for  the  fiscal  year  ending  April  i,  1848: 

RECEIPTS. 

Dray  License $  19  00 

Cart          "      6  00 

Wagon     "      192  00 

Grocery    " 800  00 

Beer          "      417  88 

Store         "      882  12 

Auction    "      175  09 

General    "      (shows) 165  00 

Market  House Ill  50 

Wharfage 1,147  31 

Tax  Book 6,271  17 

Fines  and  Penalties 3  00 

Nuisance  Account— cash  received  for  lots  filled  up  by  the  city...  358  98 


Total  Revenue 5,551  68 

To  Balance,  April  1, 1848 25,395  04 


$  34,946  72 
EXPENDITURES. 

Quincy  Cemetery $  35  25 

Old  Cemetery 29  00 

Fire  Department < 258  88 

Exchange  Account 1  00 

Public  Wells 6  00 

Public  Landing 635  65 

Dog  Account 36  00 

Expense  Account — including  salaries,  &c 1,547  86 

Commission  Account  for  collecting  taxes 161  78 

Public  Square 8  20 

Poor  House 1,142  46 

Road  Appropriations 2,600  00 

Public  Schools — for  erecting  school  houses,  salaries,  &c 2,841  48 

Quincy  Ferry 4,991  59 

[There  has  been  paid  for  repairing  ferryboat,  $1,223.72.] 

Interest  Account 1,498  90 


Total  Expenditures 15,783  89 

By  Balance,  April  1, 1847 19,462  83 

i 

$34,946  72 


191 

Resources  and  liabilities  of  the  City  of  Quincy,  April  i,  1848: 
RESOURCES. 

K.  F.  Edgell $       37  25 

W.  A.  Adams 3  08 

John  Reed 8  75 

George  Wood 2  50 

W.  M.  Naylor 6  00 

L.  S.  Parsons 15  18 

H.  Rogers,  (Treasurer) 6,807  02 

H.  H.  Snow,        "         238 

D.  G.  Whitney '. 84  19 

Towhead 144  90 

Sidewalk 553  64 

Tax  Titles 595  67 

Bills  Receivable 505  67 

City  Marshal 175  42 

Real  Estate 39  70 

Cash 68  64 

City  of  Quincy  balance 25,395  04 

$  34,545  03 
LIABILITIES. 

Bills  Payable I $24,985  09 

Treasury  Orders 246  92 

Vouchers 9,132  60 

Vouchers,  new 5  00 

Tax  Book 175  42 


$  34,545  03 
H.  H.  SNOW,  City  Clerk. 

I  find  in  the  Whig  of  October  4,  1870,  the  following: 

The  following  is  the  Comptroller's  report  to  the  30th  of  September,  1870. 
It  was  received  and  ordered  on  file  : 


APPROPRIATIONS. 

Total  expendi- 
tures to  date. 

Amount  of  Ap- 
propriation. 

Balance  unex- 
pended. 

Contingent  

$    1  149  30 

$    3376  00 

$    2226  70 

Cemeteries  and  Squares  
Fire  Department  

16  00 
5,959  00 

100  00 
14,000  00 

84  00 
8,041  00 

.Gas   

5,874  21 

12,000  00 

6,125  79 

260  80 

300  00 

39  20 

7,177  10 

13,800  00 

6,622  90 

1,232  10 

2,000  00 

767  90 

Paupers  

3,846  12 

8,000  00 

4,153  88 

390  00 

1,175  00 

785  00 

Salaries  and  Commissions  
Streets         

3,075  35 
14,928  23 

8,500  00 
20,550  00 

5,424  65 
5,621  77 

3,037  45 

4,000  00 

962  55 

1,150  00 

1,250  00 

100  00 

Public  Cisterns  

271  00 

400  00 

129  00 

Fines  and  Penalties  

500  00 

500  00 

317  00 

317  00 

1,107  90 

1,250  00 

142  10 

377  35 

500  00 

122  65 

13,798  00 

13,798  00 

Loans  and  Discounts  

12,000  00 

24,000  00 

12,000  00 

Ordinance  Revision  

1,500  00 

1,500  00 

Total  

$  62,168  91 

$131,316  00 

$  69,147  09 

Total  expended  to  date. 
Balance  unexpended , 


62,168  91 

69,147  09 

Total  appropriations $131,316  00 


192 

MAYOR'S  OFFICE,  QUINCY,  October  3, 1870. 
To  the  Honorable  Qity  Council  of  the  City  of  Quincy: 

GENTLEMEN  : — The  act  of  the  Legislature  approved  April  16,  1869,  which 
returns  to  such  cities  as  have  created  a  railroad  debt,  all  the  State  tax 
arising  from  railroad  property  in  such  city,  as  well  as  the  entire  excess  of 
taxation  on  a  valuation  over  the  assessment  value  of  the  year  1868,  enables 
the  City  of  Quincy  to  realize  an  important  sum  to  apply  toward  the  pay- 
ment of  interest  on  such  bonds  as  have  been  issued  in  exchange  for  old 
railroad  bonds. 

To  realize  the  benefit  of  this  law  it  is  necessary  that  said  bonds  be  regis- 
tered in  form  as  prescribed  by  the  law,  in  the  Auditor's  office  at  Springfield. 

I  visited  Springfield  on  the  8th  ultimo,  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining 
what  was  required  to  be  done  in  the  premises,  and  have  prepaid  and  for- 
warded to  the  Auditor's  office  a  general  certificate  covering  al?  such  bonds 
as  have  been  issued  prior  to  the  17th  ultimo,  under  the  act  of  February 
13th,  1865,  replacing  our  old  railroad  indebtedness. 

The  State  Auditor  reports  the  certificate  satisfactory,  and  that  all  bonds 
mentioned  therein  are  now  subject  to  registration.  Under  the  certificates 
now  on  file,  $131,500  of  new  bonds  have  been  registered  under  the  law  of 
1869,  at  the  cost  of  $1  per  certificate ;  and  hereafter  all  bonds  mentioned 
in  the  general  certificate,  a  copy  of  which  is  on  file  in  the  Clerk's  office, 
can  be  registered  from  time  to  time,  as  they  may  be  accessible  or  as  it  may 
be  deemed  expedient,  while  all  new  issues  on  account  of  railroad  indebt- 
edness taken  up,  should  be  registered  before  delivery  with  the  proper  ac- 
companying certificate. 

The  examination  necessary  in  preparing  the  general  certificate  showed, 
that  of  the  bonds  issued  under  the  act  of  February  13,  1865,  by  the  City  of 
Quincy,  there  were,  up  to  date  (September  17, 1870,)  exchanged  for  North- 
ern Cross  and  Quincy  and  Palmyra  bonds  the  following  : 

30  year  $1,000  bonds  issued  from  July  1, 1866,  to  July  1,  1869 $  359,000 

20    "         "          "  "         "          "         "  "         "    327,000 

20    "     $500        "  "         "          "         "  "         "    6,000 

20    "     $100        "  "         "          "         "  "         "    3,700 


Total t $695,700 

I  may  mention  here,  as  a  matter  of  information,  that,  under  the  act  of 
1865,  there  had  been  Quincy  City  bonds  registered,  in  the  Auditor's  office 
up  to  the  8th  ultimo,  to  the  amount  of  $1,059,500. 

There  now  remains  outstanding  of  the  old  bonded  indebtedness  of 
Quincy  issued  on  account  of  subscriptions  to  railroads  : 

Northern  Cross  R.  R.  Bonds  of  1st  issue $45,000 

"  "          "          "  2d     "     7,000 

"  "          "          "  3d     "     16,000 

Quincy  &  Palmyra  "  7,000 


Total $69,000 

Respectfully  submitted,  J.  G.  ROWLAND,  Mayor. 

The  following  resolution  was  offered  by  Alderman  Wheat  and  unani- 
mously adopted: 

Resolved,  That  the  Mayor  be  authorized  to  take  such  steps  as  to  him 
seems  best  to  obtain  the  registration  in  the  office  of  the  Auditor  of  State,  of 
all  bonds  heretofore  issued  by  the  city. 


193 

Coming  down  to  our  own  times,  we  are  brought  up  standing, 
as  it  were,  by  the  well  written  report  of  a  committee  of  the 
Board  of  Commerce  and  published  in  the  Daily  Quincy  Whig 
of  the  1 7th  of  November,  1880.  I  publish  this  report  in  my 
book  as  representing  the  very  respectable  and  influential  parties 
to  it.  But  in  thus  perpetuating  it  in  this  form,  I  am  not  to  be 
understood  as  endorsing  its  perfect  accuracy,  not  having  ex- 
amined all  the  facts,  and  especially  all  the  decisions  of  the  courts 
referred  to  therein.  Perhaps  the  general  reader  would  not  have 
read  the  decisions  of  the  courts  in  law  reports,  even  if  special 
references  had  been  given  in  the  report  following: 

The  Committee  on  Municipal  Affairs,  of  which  Mr.  Lorenzo  Bull  is 
Chairman,  made  the  following  report : 

The  undersigned,  a  committee  appointed  by  the  Board  of  Commerce  to 
prepare  and  present  full  information  as  to  our  city  debt,  and  to  suggest  a 
plan  for  providing  for  the  refunding  of  all  that  portion  which  is  now  over- 
due, or  which  can  be  advantageously  refunded,  beg  leave  to  report  as 
follows: 

They  have  carefully  investigated  the  outstanding  indebtedness  of  the 
City  of  Quincy,  and  find  that  besides  amounts  due  upon  outstanding  con- 
tracts and  for  current  expenses  of  the  municipal  government,  which 
amounts  can  probably  be  met  during  the  year  from  taxes  and  other  sources 
of  revenue,  the  debt  of  the  city  consists : 

First — Of  bonds  known  as  registered  bonds,  by  which  is  meant  bonds 
issued  by  the  city  government  under  the  authority  of  the  acts  of  the  State 
Legislature,  approved  February  13, 1865,  and  March  30, 1871,  which  bonds 
are  registered  in  the  office  of  the  Auditor  of  Public  Accounts  at  Springfield, 
and  the  taxes  for  the  payment  of  interest  and  principal  as  it  matures  are 
levied  and  disbursed  by  State  officers  under  State  authority,  without  any 
co-operation  or  interference  on  the  part  of  the  city  government. 

These  bonds  all  bear  interest  at  the  rate  of  6  per  cent  per  annum,  payable 
annually  on  the  first  day  of  July  in  each  year,  and  amount  in  the  aggregate 
to  $1,640,500 ;  say,  one  million,  six  hundred  and  forty  thousand  and  five 
hundred  dollars. 

They  fall  due  as  follows  : 

July  1,1886 $    184,000 

July  1,1887 13,800 

July  1,1888 209,800 

July  1,1889 23,900 

July  1,1890 262,700 

July  1,1891 252,700 

July  1,1892 J5.600 

July  1,1896 16,000 

July  1,1897 276,000 

July  1,1898 351,000 

July  1,1899 35,000 


Total $1,640,500 

13 


194 

The  validity  of  the  acts  under  which  these  bonds  were  issued  has  been 
repeatedly  affirmed  by  various  courts  in  this  State,  including  the  Supreme 
Court,  and  the  validity  of  the  bonds  has  also  been  in  like  manner  affirmed, 
so  that  no  doubt  exists  among  lawyers  that  these  bonds  are  a  legal  and  in- 
contestible  obligation  against  the  city,  and  payment  can  be  enforced  in  any 
court  having  competent  jurisdiction.  It  is  well  understood,  although  pub- 
lication of  the  fact  has  been  withheld,  that  the  recent  opinion  of  Messrs. 
Lawrence,  Campbell  &  Lawrence,  for  which  the  city  has  just  paid  a  large 
fee,  is  to  the  effect  that  the  registered  bonds  of  the  city  are  valid  and  col- 
lectible obligations. 

It  is  true  that  application  was  made  to  the  Circuit  Court  of  this  county  at 
its  spring  term,  1880,  for  an  injunction  to  restrain  the  collection  of  taxes 
for  the  payment  of  interest  on  these  bonds,  but  the  injunction  was 
promptly  refused  by  Judge  Williams,  and  the  validity  of  the  bonds 
affirmed.  The  case  was  appealed,  but  if  ever  prosecuted  to  a  decision  in  a 
higher  court  must  meet  with  the  same  result,  as  the  law  of  the  case  has 
been  definitely  and  finally  settled  by  the  highest  judicial  tribunals. 

This,  then,  is  the  condition  of  our  registered  bonded  debt :  We  owe 
$1,640,500,  no  part  of  the  principal  of  which  is  now  due,  or  will  become 
due  until  July  1st,  1886,  when  $184,000  will  mature.  We  have  no  payment 
of  principal  to  make  until  that  date,  but  what  we  ought  to  do  at  once  in 
our  own  interest  is  so  to  strengthen  and  improve  our  credit  that  when  that 
time  comes  we  shall  be  able  to  refund  all  that  we  are  not  able  to  pay  at  the 
lowest  rate  of  interest  which  may  then  be  obtainable  by  any  municipality. 
The  difference  of  cost  will  be  enormous,  whether  we  come  to  the  time  of 
the  maturity  of  these  bonds,  with  high  and  untarnished  financial  credit,  or 
whether  our  municipal  honor  is  smirched  with  the  taint  of  dishonesty  and 
repudiation,  or  even  of  mismanagement.  The  city  of  New  York  has  re- 
cently sold  its  refunding  4  per  cent  bonds  at  5f  per  cent  premium,  while 
the  6  per  cent  bonds  of  the  city  of  Quincy  cannot  be  sold  in  the  same  city 
at  a  higher  price  than  from  15  to  20  per  cent  discount.  Yet  the  debt  of 
the  city  of  Quincy  is  for  each  citizen  only  about  half  the  amount  of  the 
debt  of  New  York,  and  Quincy  bonds  are  as  certain  to  be  paid,  both  prin- 
cipal and  interest,  as  the  bonds  of  the  city  of  New  York ;  but  we  have  re- 
pudiators  among  us  who  are  unwise  enough  to  wish  to  defy  and  harass  our 
creditors,  and  our  bonds  may  only  be  paid  at  the  end  of  a  lawsuit. 

Let  us  suppose  that  the  management  of  our  city  affairs  had  been  honest 
and  capable,  that  our  credit  was  untainted  by  repudiation  and  unimpaired 
by  any  discreditable  acts,  might  it  not  then  be  reasonably  expected  that 
our  bonds  would  sell  as  high  as  those  of  any  other  municipality.  If  our 
registered  bonds  were  due  it  might  then  be  possible  to  do  what  New  York 
has  just  done — that  is,  replace  our  6  per  cent  bonda  with  a  4  per  cent  bond. 
If  this  was  done,  the  saving  by  the  reduction  of  interest  alone  would  be 
$32,810  every  year,  and  if  the  bonds  were  sold  at  the  same  premium  as 
those  of  New  York  city,  the  amount  of  premium  realized  would  be  suf- 
ficient to  reduce  the  principal  of  the  debt  by  the  large  sum  of  $92,250. 

It  is  by  such  statements  and  facts  as  these  that  some  idea  can  be  gained 
of  the  fearful  cost  of  attempted  repudiation  and  of  the  discredit  which 
attaches  wherever  a  dishonest  public  sentiment  and  incapable  municipal 
management  prevails. 

Is  it  not  time  that  in  view  of  the  cost  we  recognize  the  folly  of  our 
course  ?  If  we  are  not  honest  from  principle,  let  us  be  honest  from  policy 


195 

and  because  we  must.  We  can  not  escape  a  dollar  of  our  obligations,  but 
we  can  greatly  diminish  their  burden,  if  we  are  wise  enough  not  to  dis- 
credit and  disgrace  ourselves. 

Second — The  next  item  of  city  indebtedness  is  in  the  form  of  bonds 
known  as  "Debt  Funding  Bonds."  These  bonds  are  not  registered.  They 
bear  8  per  cent  per  annum  interest  and  amount  in  all  to  $131,300.  Of  this 
amount  there  is  now  overdue  and  unpaid  $122,000,  and  most  of  the  remain- 
der falls  due  on  the  1st  of  January  next.  There  will  also  be  due  on  the 
1st  of  January  next,  for  overdue  and  unpaid  interest  on  these  b(3nds,  the 
gum  of  $24,256,  making  the  total  principal  and  interest  of  these  bonds  (all 
excepting  $1,400),  either  part  due  or  to  become  due  on  the  1st  of  January 
next,  $155,556.  To  this  is  to  be  added  the  amount  of  overdue  and  unpaid 
interest  on  the  bonds  known  as  the  M.  &  M.  bonds  (more  particularly  re- 
ferred to  hereafter)  amounting  to  $18,000 ;  add  to  this  interest  on  unpaid 
coupons  since  maturity  and  costs  of  suits  estimated  at  $4,384,  and  we  have 
a  total  of  immediate  pressing  cash  liabilities  of  about  $178,000. 

A  large  portion  of  this  is  already  in  suit  and  will  probably  be  in  judg- 
ments within  the  next  three  months,  and  the  payment  of  the  judgments 
will  be  enforced  by  peremptory  mandamus  requiring  the  immediate  levy 
of  taxes  to  pay  the  whole  amount  in  cash.  The  rate  of  taxation  required 
for  this  purpose  alone  will  be,  in  addition  to  all  other  taxes,  about  3  per 
cent  on  all  the  real  and  personal  property  in  the  city. 

The  payment  of  this  large  sum  at  this  time  must  obviously  be  very  bur- 
densome and  prejudicial,  and  is  wholly  unnecessary,  unless  it  shall  become 
compulsory  through  the  action  of  the  courts  by  reason  of  negligence  of  the 
City  Council  and  the  citizens  to  provide  for  the  emergency. 

The  only  method  by  which  the  necessity  of  this  large  levy  of  burden- 
some taxes  can  be  avoided  is  by  providing  at  once  for  the  refunding  of 
these  bonds  and  accrued  interest,  to  the  satisfaction  of  creditors,  under  the 
provisions  of  existing  State  laws  enacted  for  the  purpose. 

The  refunding  operation  is  an  easy  one,  the  details  for  which  are  pre- 
scribed by  the  laws,  and  it  is  not  necessary  here  to  give  the  particulars.  It 
requires  a  vote  of  the  people,  and  is  the  same  operation  which  the  town- 
ships of  Mendon  and  Keene,  in  this  county,  have  just  carried  through, 
most  honorably  and  creditably  to  the  people,  and  with  a  large  saving  of 
annual  interest. 

There  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that  this  refunding  can  be  done  at  once  upon 
favorable  terms,  if  the  Council  would  give  the  measure  the  prompt  atten- 
tion its  importance  demands  and  act  before  judgments  are  obtained  and 
the  patience  of  the  creditors  exhausted.  Some  steps  in  the  right  direc- 
tion have  been  taken,  but  nothing  useful  has  been  accomplished.  Instead 
of  prompt  and  decisive  action,  the  subject  is  trifled  with  and  postponed 
from  one  meeting  to  another. 

A  portion  of  the  Council  appear  determined  to  question  the  validity  of 
the  bonds  and  resist  payment  altogether,  The  result  of  such  action,  if  it 
should  prove  influential,  must  be  to  involve  us  deeper  and  deeper  in  the 
disgrace  of  attempted  but  unsuccessful  repudiation  and  to  add  largely  to 
our  financial  burdens. 

There  is  no  more  just  obligations  outstanding  against  the  city  of  Quincy 
than  these  debt  funding  bonds.  They  were  issued  upon  the  unanimous 
vote  of  the  City  Council,  to  extricate  the  city  from  the  deep  embarrass- 
ment into  which  it  had  fallen  through  the  over-issue  of  scrip  in  excess  of 


196 

the  annual  revenues,  which  had  forced  the  city  into  that  condition  where 
it  was  obliged  to  pay  about  three  dollars  for  every  dollar's  worth  of  work 
or  supplies  which  it  needed.  The  scrip  which  had  been  issued  to  laborers 
and  others  was  taken  up  by  the  issue  of  those  bonds.  The  issue  was 
authorized  by  a  special  act  of  the  Legislature,  approved  February  16,  1857, 
and  the  resolution  of  the  City  Council  providing  for  their  issue  "pledged 
the  faith  of  the  city  to  the  payment  of  the  bonds"  and  declared  that  the 
bonds  when  accepted  in  lieu  of  scrip  became  a  contract  to  be  faithfully 
kept  and  maintained. 

This  action  of  the  Council  was  universally  approved  by  the  people  at  the 
time,  and  the  city  derived  immediate  and  important  advantages  from  it. 
The  expenses  of  the  city  were  placed  on  a  cash  basis,  and  grading  which 
had  cost  up  to  that  time  from  30  to  40  cents  per  cubic  yard  in  scrip,  at  once 
fell  to  12  and  15  cents  per  yard  in  cash. 

The  objections  urged  against  the  payment  of  these  bonds  are  principally 
that  they  were  not  regularly  issued,  and  that  the  taxation  authorized 
under  the  special  provisions  of  the  city  charter  is  inadequate  to  provide 
for  their  payment. 

This  is  the  mere  quibble  of  that  form  of  dishonesty  which,  having  got 
possession  of  a  creditor's  property,  and  having  enjoyed  the  benefits  of  it, 
then  seeks  to  defraud  him  of  it  entirely,  and  prevents  its  recovery  by  in- 
terposing legal  and  technical  obstacles  without  justice  or  merit. 

These  pleas  will  be  as  useless  as  they  are  dishonest.  The  courts  have 
long  ago  settled  the  principle,  that  where  bonds  are  issued  even  under 
doubtful  authority, and  have  been  long  recognized  as  valid  by  the  payment 
of  interest,  the  city  is  finally  estopped  from  pleading  insufficient  authority 
or  any  informality  in  the  issue,  and  must  pay  them,  and  have  also  repeat- 
edly decided  that  where  there  is  authority  to  contract  a  debt  the  authority 
to  levy  taxes  to  pay  it  follows  by  necessary  implication  even  if  not  specially 
authorized,  and  the  courts  will  enforce  the  payment.  The  City  Council 
have  already  been  required  by  peremptory  mandamus  from  the  United 
States  courts,  for  the  purpose  of  paying  judgments,  to  levy  taxes  outside  of 
the  charter  limits  of  taxation.  They  have  levied  such  taxes ;  they  will  be 
collected,  and  will  be  followed  by  other  decrees  and  by  other  levies  until 
the  city  recognizes  its  duty  to  its  creditors  and  its  own  true  interests,  and 
adopts  an  honest  and  just  policy  for  meeting  all  its  obligations. 

Third — The  remaining  form  of  city  indebtedness,  is  bonds  issued  to  the 
Mississippi  &  Missouri  River  Air  Line  Railroad,  being  the  road  from 
Quincy  to  Keokuk,  now  a  part  of  the  St.  Louis,  Keokuk  &  Northwestern 
Railroad. 

These  bonds,  amounting  to  $100,000,  were  issued  in  payment  of  a  sub- 
scription to  the  stock  of  that  company  of  the  same  amount.  The  subscrip- 
tion was  authorized  by  a  vote  of  the  people,  June  2, 1868,  the  vote  standing: 

For  issuing  the  bonds 651 

Against 198 

This  issue  of  bonds  was  afterwards  legalized  by  the  Legislature.  The 
Supreme  Court  has  since  incidentally,  if  not  directly,  affirmed  their  validity, 
and  the  United  States  Circuit  Court  has  recently  done  the  same  thing  in 
giving  judgment  upon  defaulted  coupons. 

There  is  now,  or  will  be  January  1st  next,  outstanding  overdue  interest 
coupons  of  these  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $18,060,  but  no  part  of  the  prin- 
cipal will  be  due  until  the  year  1900. 


197 

The  reasons  why  these  bonds  (not  being  now  due)  are  spoken  of  and 
proposed  to  be  included  in  any  refunding  operations  which  may  be  under- 
taken, are  partly,  that  if  these  were  not  included  they  would  be  the  only 
bonds  of  the  city  not  registered,  that  they  would  be  in  a  class  by  them- 
selves, of  inferior  credit  because  wanting  in  the  highest  guarantees,  and 
would  consequently  exert  a  depreciating  influence  upon  the  whole  issue  of 
the  city  bonds  and  the  general  credit  of  the  city,  because  also  this  issue 
has  been  largely  counterfeited,  and  for  that  reason  ought  to  be  withdrawn 
from  circulation,  and  because  the  price  at  which  they  were  originally  sold 
by  the  railroad  was  very  low,  and  all  these  and  other  reasons  have  assisted 
to  give  them  lower  quotations  than  other  Quincy  bonds  and  present  hold- 
ers have  purchased  them  generally  at  a  low  value.  For  such  reasons  it  has 
been  thought  that  these  bonds,  although  not  due,  could  be  judiciously  re- 
funded at  a  lower  rate  of  interest  than  they  now  bear  with  advantage  to 
the  holders  and  to  the  city,  and  it  is  recommended  that  the  attempt  be 
made. 

Your  committee  had  proposed  to  dwell  at  some  length  upon  the  mania 
for  repudiation  in  some  form,  either  open  or  disguised,  which  seemed  early 
in  the  year  to  have  had  a  controlling  influence  with  a  large  number  of  our 
citizens,  but  they  believe  that  this  delusion  is  largely  passing  away,  and 
that  the  uselessness  and  folly  as  well  as  the  dishonesty  and  disgrace  of  re- 
pudiation, and  its  injurious  influence  upon  our  growth  and  upon  all  our 
material  interests,  is  beginning  to  be  perceived,  and  if  some  are  still  in 
doubt  the  prompt  action  of  the  courts  will  soon  bring  conviction. 

Your  committee  wish,  however,  before  closing,  to  say  a  few  words  to 
those  who  are  not  entitled  to  be  classed  as  repudiators,  who  have  no  dis- 
honest purpose,  who  acknowledge  our  obligations  to  pay  our  whole  debt, 
but  who  sincerely  believe  that  payment  is  beyond  our  means,  that  this 
community  can  not  provide  for  a  debt  of  nearly  two  million  dollars.  Most 
of  those  who  hold  these  opinions  are  persons  but  little  accustomed  to  con- 
sider or  to  deal  with  important  financial  problems,  and  are  naturally  over- 
powered by  the  magnitude  of  the  sum,  and  their  own  conscious  inability 
to  deal  with  it.  But  it  should  be  remembered  that  the  debt  is  not  to  be 
paid  now,  nor  until  it  is  entirely  convenient  and  we  desire  to  pay  it.  If 
we  pay  interest  promptly  and  are  otherwise  honest  and  entitled  to  confi- 
dence, we  can  obtain  as  low  a  rate  of  interest  as  any  city  pays,  and  we  shall 
not  be  asked  for  the  principal  until  it  becomes  for  our  advantage  to  pay  it. 
What  we  want  now  is  not  the  means  of  present  payment,  but  such  im- 
proved credit  as  will  allow  us  to  obtain  the  lowest  rate  of  interest  and  such 
judicious  management  as  will  provide  a  moderate  sinking  fund  for  the 
easy  and  gradual  extinction  of  the  principal. 

How  the  debt  might  be  easily  and  finally  paid  under  the  influence  of 
the  entire  abandonment  of  the  repudiation  policy,  with  the  advantage  of 
the  improved  credit  which  would  immediately  follow  and  a  judicious  ap- 
plication of  the  present  resources,  will  be  shown  by  the  following  state- 
ment, which  any  one  can  verify  who  chooses  to  take  the  trouble : 

If  the  whole  existing  debt  of  the  city  could  be  at  once  refunded  into  4 
per  cent  bonds,  which  could  be  done  under  certain  specified  conditions, 
the  immediate  saving  in  interest  would  exceed  $40,000  a  year.  If,  after 
that  was  done,  the  State  authorities  should  continue  to  levy  annually  only 
the  amount  now  required  to  pay  interest,  which  is  about  $116,000,  and 
should  then  apply  annually  enough  of  this  sum  to  pay  interest  on  the 


198 

whole  debt  at  a  rate  of  4  per  cent  per  annum,  and  the  remainder  of  the 
sum  to  the  reduction  of  the  principal  of  the  debt,  and  should  continue  the 
operation  year  after  year,  this  surprising  result  would  be  realized — that 
the  whole  principal  and  interest  of  the  debt  would  be  entirely  extinguished 
in  twenty-seven  years. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  we  do  nothing  to  change  our  financial  policy  and 
improve  our  credit,  we  may  continue  to  pay  $116,000  a  year  for  interest  for 
100  years  and  still  owe  every  dollar  of  the  principal  which  we  now  owe. 
We  owe  it  to  ourselves  as  members  of  this  association  and  as  citizens  to 
discourage  every  form  of  open  or  covert  repudiation  as  unworthy,  dis- 
honest and  foolish.  We  should  require  of  our  city  officials  prompt  and 
honorable  recognition  of  all  outstanding  obligations,  and  the  earliest  and 
best  arrangements  practicable  for  an  adjustment  of  the  same  satisfactory 
to  creditors,  pledging  ourselves  to  hearty  co-operation  with  every  judicious 
effort  for  the  promotion  of  the  public  interest  and  the  restoration  of  the 
public  credit.  Respectfully  submitted, 

LORENZO  BULL,  Chairman, 
HENRY  F.  J.  RICKER, 
WILLIAM  MARSH, 
CHAUNCEY  H.  CASTLB, 
F.  W.  MEYER. 

Mr.  William  Marsh  moved  that  the  report  be  unanimously  adopted,  and 
that  the  city  papers  be  requested  to  publish  the  report,  and  that  the  Ex- 
ecutive Committee  be  ordered  to  have  it  printed  for  distribution. 

Mayor  Webster  spoke  upon  the  items  in  the  report,  and  generally  upon 
the  subject  of  honesty  and  repudiation  in  municipal  affairs.  He  knew  of 
no  person  in  the  city  who  was  in  favor  of  repudiation,  but  insisted  that 
the  people  were  entitled  to  pay  as  it  was  "nominated  in  the  bond." 

He  was  firmly  of  the  opinion  that  any  proposition  to  refund  the  bonds 
would  be  defeated  by  the  people  until  the  courts  have  decided  the  bonds 
legal  and  valid. 

Mr.  Bull  replied  to  the  remarks  of  the  Mayor,  adding  some  information 
to  the  statements  in  the  report  as  to  the  liability  of  the  city  to  pay  the 
bonds  now  issued. 

Interesting  statements  were  also  made  by  Messrs.  Webster,  Charles, 
Marsh,  Lemley,  Parker,  and  at  their  conclusion  the  resolution  to  unani- 
mously adopt  the  report  was  carried  with  Mayor  Webster  voting  in  the 
negative. 

If  our  Quincy  readers  will  simply  remember  that  this  debt 
question  is  our  own,  and  that  we  are  glad  to  know  that  no 
other  community  is  in  any  way  involved  in  it,  and  without  know- 
ing anything  about  the  debts  of  other  cities,  that  we  yet  feel  as- 
sured from  the  general  tenor  of  events  that  each  and  all  of  them 
will  have  enough  to  do  "to  paddle  their  own  canoe,"  and  finally 
that  so  far  as  Quincy  is  concerned  she  will  "face  the  music," 
but  still  claiming  to  be  allowed  the  right  of  every  individual 
citizen,  to  a  full  hearing  in  our  highest  courts  upon  all  doubtful 
points  of  law  or  equity  without  being  offensively  called  "Re- 
pudiators."  The  committee  of  the  Board  of  Commerce,  if  I 


199 

understand  their  report  above,  seem  to  consider  the  whole 
question  already  settled  by  our  highest  tribunals  or  courts,  and 
if  this  is  so,  and  we  are  convinced  of  it,  and  that  there  is  no 
reasonable  prospect  of  a  rehearing  and  re-argument,  we  become 
Repudiators  when  we  resist  the  payment  of  our  city  debt,  even 
though  taxation  resulting  therefrom  may  amount  to  the  confis- 
cation of  the  whole  of  every  man's  property;  always  providing 
the  courts  shall  hold  that  they  may  rightly  adjudge  themselves 
empowered,  by  mandamus  or  otherwise,  to  hold  all  private 
property  within  the  range  of  a  municipal  corporation  liable  lor 
the  debts  of  the  corporation. 

I  have  before  me  the  mayor's  message  of  May  2,  1881,  to 
the  City  Council,  in  which  is  found  a  statement  of  registered 
bonds  amounting  to  $1,640,500,  as  stated  in  the  report  of  the 
committee  of  the  Board  of  Commerce;  debt  funding  bonds, 
$131,300;  bonds  due  not  presented,  $17,823;  total  amount,  $i,- 
789,623.  If  we  add  M.  &  M.  Air  Line  bonds,  $100,000,  and 
accrued  interest  to  ist  of  January,  1881,  $33,008,  we  shall  have 
a  total  bonded  debt  of  $1,922,631.  A  city  debt  substantially 
$2,000,000  is  perhaps  not  larger  than  that  pertaining  to  a  num- 
ber of  other  cities  in  our  country,  of  not  greater  population  and 
resources.  But  it  would  still  be  folly  for  us  to  deny  that  our 
our  debt  is  a  source  of  anxiety  and  a  heavy  burden.  But  we 
should  have  no  prejudice  against  our  bondholders  as  a  class. 
They  say:  "Is  it  not  so  nominated  in  the  bond.  If  you  deny 
us,  fie  upon  your  law."  Our  deeds  upon  our  heads,  we  crave 
the  law,  the  penalty  and  forfeit  of  our  bonds.  We  confess  the 
bonds,  in  that  they  bear  the  city's  seal,  and  to  that  extent  none 
of  her  citizens  can  say  "they  did  it  not !"  Notwithstanding  all 
this  as  against  these  bonds,  as  against  the  collection  of  the  note 
of  a  private  citizen,  our  laws  allow  the  maker  to  plead  and  set 
up  certain  lawful  defences,  and  also  in  some  cases  other  equita- 
ble defences.  The  statutes  and  decisions  of  our  own  State  gen- 
erally govern  the  decisions  of  all  courts  in  regard  to  our  own 
affairs,  unless  held  to  be  in  violation  of  the  constitution  of  the 
United  States.  Section  7,  of  our  Practice  Act  provides  that  in 
suits  against  a  city  *  *  *  process  may  be  served  by  leaving 
a  copy  thereof  with  the  mayor  or  city  clerk.  *  *  *  Section 
1 1 :  "In  action  of  mandamus,  there  issues  a  summons  in  the 
usual  form,  commanding  the  defendant  to  appear,  &c.,  the  issues 
to  be  made  up  by  answering,  pleading  or  demurrer  to  the  peti- 
tion as  in  other  cases."  Under  Section  19,  sealed  instruments 


200 

may  be  sued  and  declared  on  or  set  off,  as  heretofore,  or  in  any 
form  of  action  in  which  such  instrument  might  have  been  sued 
and  declared  upon  or  set  off  if  it  had  not  been  under  seal;  and 
demands  upon  simple  contracts  may  be  set  off  against  demands 
upon  sealed  instruments,  judgments  or  decrees.     Under  Section 
29  the  defendant  may  plead  as  many  matters  of  fact  in  several 
pleas,  as  he  may  deem  necessary  for  his  defense,  or  may  plead 
the  general  issue  and  give  notice  in  writing,  under  the  same  of 
special  matters  in  defense,  &c.     *     *    *     In  the  celebrated  old 
time  case  before  the  Duke  in  Venice,   the    most  liberal   oral 
pleading  seems  to  have  been  allowed,  indeed  in  that  case  the 
court  itself  set  up  the  pleas.     The  plaintiff  insisted   upon   the 
terms  of  the  bond;  on  this  and  nothing  else.      The  decision  in 
that  case  can  only  be  justified  upon  the  plea  that  the  enforce- 
ment of  the  demand  for  the  pound  of  flesh  nearest  the  heart  of 
Antonio,  was  in  effect  a  demand  for  his  life,  and  therefore  the 
bond  itself  was  both  illegal  and  void.  Perhaps  many  of  the  holders 
of  municipal  bonds  bearing  exorbitant  interest  in  our  country 
"might  profit  by  the  example,"  or  at  least  to  take  into  consider- 
ation such  sensible  suggestions  as  are  made  in  the  report  of  the 
committee  of  the  Board  of  Commerce,  and  other  like  sugges- 
tions in  other  localities  upon  the  question  of  refunding  at  lower 
rates  of  interest  as  best  for  all  parties  concerned.     In  respect  to 
city  and  county  railroad  bonds,  when  even  the  annual  or  semi- 
annual interest  begins  to  be  felt  as  very  burdensome,  the  masses 
of  taxpayers  begin  to  look  around  for  some  means  of  escape. 
They  say  "we  did  it  not".     That  of  Tom,  Dick  and  Harry,  who 
did  this  this  thing,  not  more  than  one  of  the  three  is  here  now. 
One  of  them  voted  nay,  one  of  them  voted  yea,  and  the  other 
one  who  voted  with  them  is  either  dead  or  gone  away,  and  be- 
sides but  one  of  the  three  was  a  taxpayer.      These  city  and 
county  bonds  have  all  gone  to  help  build  the  railroads,  the  stocks 
for  which  they  were  given  cuts  no  figure  in  the  case,  they  have 
generally  been  declared  forfeited.      Many  of  the  bonds  with  the 
road  itself  are  now  in  the  hands  of  the  stockholders  of  the  rail- 
road companies.      If  our  bonds  helped  build  the  railroads,  why 
should  not  the  railroads  be  compelled,  after  the  forfeiture  of  our 
stock,  to  pay  the  interest  on  our  bonds,  or  at  least  to  restore  an 
equitable  amount  of  our  stock,  now  that  the  roads  are  declaring 
dividends,  &c.      And  now,  irrespective  of  who  it  may  be  that 
holds  our  bonds,  may  we  not  investigate  the  question  of  their 
legality  as  moatgages  upon  private  property;  for  it  comes  to 


201 

that.  Many  taxpayers  begin  to  say:  "Is  it  indisputively  and 
sufficiently  clear  that  either  the  legislatures,  the  authorities  of 
the  counties  or  of  the  cities  have  or  had,  lawful  and  constitutional 
power  and  authority  to  authorize  the  issuing  of  these  bonds  to 
have  the  effect  upon  private  property  of  a  lien  or  mortgage. 
May  we  not  suggest  that  if  the  power  of  the  legislature,  the 
county  and  the  city  are  limited  by  the  supreme  law,  the  con- 
stitution of  the  United  States,  then  how  does  that  limitation 
affect  these  municipal  corporation  bonds  which  are  to  have  the 
effect  of  a  lien  or  morgage  upon  all  private  property  within  the 
municipality.  We  may  not  care  for  a  vote  of  the  people,  as  it  is 
called,  or  whether  a  proposition  to  issue  bonds  to  aid  in  building 
railroads  outside  of  the  municipality  is  voted  up  or  down,  or  as 
between  railroads  in  Illinois  or  Missouri,  or  as  in  the  case  of 
Cincinnati  in  Kentucky,  outside  of  Ohio.  We  may  have  heard  of 
the  proposition  to  vote  ourselves  a  farm  out  of  government  lands, 
but  not  until  lately  have  we  heard  of  voting  away  the  farm  of 
our  neighbor.  By  the  fifth  amendment  of  the  constitution  of  the 
United  States,  it  is  among  other  things  provided  that  "No  per- 
son *  *  shall  be  deprived  of  life,  liberty  or  property  without 
due  process  of  law :  nor  shall  private  property  be  taken  for  pub- 
lic use  without  just  compensation."  This  same  provision  is  found 
substantially  in  the  constitution  of  this,  and  of  all  the  States  of 
the  Union.  Can  a  city  railroad  bond  be  construed  or  made  a  prop- 
osition, for  taking  private  property  for  a  public  use  without  just 
compensation.  Let  us  remark  that  there  have  in  our  history 
been  many  hard  blows  given  and  taken  in  defense  of  the  princi- 
ples laid  down  in  our  constitution,  having  their  origin  in  the 
great  charter,  "protecting  every  individual  of  the  nation  in  the 
free  enjoyment  of  his  life,  his  liberty  and  his  property,  unless 
declared  to  be  forfeited  by  the  judgment  of  his  peers  or  the  law 
of  the  land."  The  following,  in  the  language  in  which  it  was 
first  written,  is  the  celebrated  twenty-ninth  chapter  of  Magna 
Charta,  the  foundation  of  the  liberty  of  Englishmen,  and  we  may 
add,  of  Americans  also: 

Nullus  liber  nomo  capiatur,  vel  imprisonetur,  aut  disseisiatur  de  libero 
tenemento  suo  vel  libertatibus  vel  liberis  consuetudinibus  suis,  aut  utlage- 
tur,  aut  exulet,  aut  aliquo  modo  destruatur,  nee  super  eum  ibimus,  nee 
super  eum  mittemus  nisi  per  legale  judicium  parium  suorum  vel  per  legem 
terre.  Nulli  vedemus,  nulli  negabimus,  aut  difleremus  rectem  vel  justitiam. 

If  the  foundation  of  a  judgment  rendered  in  court  be  one  or 
more  of  these  railroad  bonds,  and  if  the  city  or  county  sued, 
neglects  to  plead  and  show  the  court  the  illegal  nature  of  the 


202 

bond  or  bonds,  or  if  the  court  should  decide  wrongfully  or  in 
error  and  enter  up  the  judgment  against  the  city,  what  property 
can  be  lawfully  taken  to  satisfy  the  judgment  or  execution.  Is 
the  city  a  public  corporation?  Is  the  judgment  against  the  city 
a  public  debt,  and  was  the  consideration  upon  which  the  judg- 
ment was  rendered,  being  a  railroad  bond,  a  public  debt,  and 
does  this  judgment  enlarge  the  plaintiff's  remedy  so  that  not- 
withstanding the  provisions  of  the  constitution  and  our  law,  de- 
claring that  private  property  shall  not  be  taken  for  public  use, 
&c.,  it  may  still  be  taken  through  a  roundabout  process  of  tax- 
ation? The  words  -public  use,  it  being  contended,  having  no 
reference  to  the  taking  of  private  property  to  pay  a  city  or  pub- 
lic debt — a  debt  of  this  kind  being  of  no  use  whatever.  With 
regard  to  the  decisions  of  the  courts  heretofore  made,  involving 
these  railroad  questions  and  debts,  they  may  say  that  they  know 
but  little,  but  feel  sure  the  ground  has  not  all  been  covered. 
That  there  has  perhaps  as  yet  not  been  an  equal  presentation  of 
both  sides  of  the  real  issues.  The  bondholders  and  railroads 
have,  so  far  as  lawyers  are  concerned,  carried  the  heaviest  guns ; 
that  the  final  decision  is  yet  to  be  made.  But  one  side  has  as 
yet  been  fairly  stated,  either  in  pleading  or  in  argument.  As 
American  citizens  they  each  have  certain  absolute  rights,  recog- 
nized and  protected  by  our  constitution,  "and  these  may  be  re- 
duced to  three  principal  or  primary  articles:  the  right  to  per- 
sonal security,  the  right  to  personal  liberty,  and  the  right  of 
private  property,  because  as  there  is  no  known  method  of  com- 
pulsion, or  of  abridging  man's  natural  free  will,  but  by  an  in- 
fringement or  dimunition  of  one  or  other  of  these  important 
rights,  the  preservation  of  these  inviolate,  may  justly  be  said  to 
include  the  preservation  of  our  civil  immunities  in  their  largest 
and  most  extensive  sense."  By  the  laws  of  England  and  our 
own,  no  free  man  is  even  permitted  to  sell  himself  into  slavery. 
By  our  own  laws  the  ordinary  mode  of  creating  a  lien  or 
mortgage  is  well  understood.  An  excited  and  howling  mob, 
which  may  call  itself  a  city  railroad  election,  hardly  amounts  to 
the  dignity  of  deliberation.  Its  acts  should  never  be  held  by  the 
courts  as  affording  a  sufficient  foundation  for  the  creation  of  a 
lien  against  the  private  property  of  any  man. 

All  these  foregoing  suggestions,  and  perhaps  many  others, 
are  now  in  the  minds  of  the  taxpayers.  They  don't  want  to  be- 
lieve that  the  question  is  finally  settled  against  them,  and  when 
they  are  told  that  the  bonds  were  not  given  to  the  railroads  at 


203 

all,  nor  to  help  the  railroads,  but  just  to  get  hold  of  the  invalua- 
able  stock  or  shares  of  these  railroad  companies,  a  great  deal  of 
which  stock  has  been,  they  are  told,  ground  through  the  courts 
and  in  effect  forfeited,  and  that  they  know  nothing  about  such 
things.  Some  of  the  greatest  lawyers  and  statesmen,  knowing 
all  about  how  to  do  it  and  how  to  wreck  a  railroad  without 
the  train  falling  through  a  bridge,  or  the  aid  of  a  broken  rail  or 
even  a  collision.  Our  non-professional  taxpayers  can  only  reply 
that  if  so  we  have  all  made  a  "pretty  hash  of  it;"  whilst  the 
representative  of  the  bondholder  facetiously  replies,  "that  the 
man  that  don't  like  this  hash  is  a  liar,"  and  a  repijdiator  besides. 
In  this  book  of  a  somewhat  local  character,  I  desire  more  to 
be  the  historian,  than  to  be  the  attorney  for  any  side  without 
pretending  to  have  examined  all  the  laws,  and  court  decisions 
supposed  to  bear  upon  the  municipal  bond  question  in  their 
various  characteristics.  I  now,  for  the  information  of  our  non- 
professional  readers,  give  the  substance  of  three  of  our  Supreme 
Court  decisions  as  I  find  them.  In  the  case  of  "The  President 
and  Trustees  of  Keithburg  vs.  Frick,  34  111.  p.  405.  The  court 
says  of  subscriptions  to  stock  of  a  railroad  company  and  the 
issuing  of  bonds  therefor,  that  if  illegal,  they  may  be  legalized  by 
the  legislature.  That  the  municipality  issuing  these  bonds  are 
estopped  from  denying  their  validity  whether  expressly  the 
bonds  were  issued  under  the  charter,  or  are  held  under  a  section 
which  legalizes  and  confirms  what  has  been  previously  done. 
That  the  corporation  was  estopped  from  setting  up  irregularity 
in  the  issuing  of  the  bonds,  after  having  repeatedly  recognized 
their  validity  by  paying  them  out  and  levying  taxes  and  paying 
interest  on  them  for  a  series  of  years.  If  the  subscription  was 
made  as  allowed  by  the  law  of  1849,  confirmed  as  it  was  by  the 
iyth  section  of  that  of  1857,  the  bonds  may  be  regarded  as  issued 
by  the  old  corporation,  confirmed  by  the  new  act,  or  as  a  new 
issue  under  the  2d  section  of  the  act  of  1857.  They  say  that 
the  legislature  may  authorize  municipal  bodies  to  subscribe  to 
stock  in  railroad  companies  has  been  often  recognized  by  the 
court  as  in  Johnson  vs.  Stark  County,  24  111.  p.  75,  Perkins  et 
al.  vs.  The  President  and  Trustees,  24  111.  p.  208,  and  that  it  is 
by  no  means  a  necessary  element  in  the  subscription  that  there 
should  be  a  vote  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  or  city  author- 
izing them.  It  is  competent  for  the  legislature  to  bestow  the 
power  directly  on  the  corporation,  without  any  intermediary  as 
they  did  in  that  case. 


204 

In  the  case  of  Marshall  County  vs.  Cook,  38  111.  p.  44,  that 
county  was  alleged  to  have  made  a  subscription  to  a  railroad 
company  under  the  act  of  the  Illinois  legislature  of  1849,  which 
required  as  a  prerequisite  that  the  county  should  call  an  election 
on  the  subject.  The  county  had  just  adopted  township  organiza- 
tion, and  the.duties'of  the  County  Court  thereby  devolved  upon 
the  Board  of  Supervisors.  But  the  County  Court  instead  of  the 
Board  off  Supervisors,  had  made  the  order  and  given  the  notice 
of  the  election.  The  court  held  that  the  order  for  the  election 
and  the  notice  made  by  the  County  Court  was  nugatory  and 
the  election  under  it  void.  That  though,  after  the  subscrip- 
tion had  been  made,  the  Board  of  Supervisors  issued  the  bonds, 
they  being  signed  by  the  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors 
and  authenticated  by  the  county  seal.  The  court  says  it  is  vir- 
tually admitted  that  the  bond  and  coupon  sued  upon  were  irreg- 
ularly issued,  and  though  it  was  insisted  that  the  subsequent 
acts  of  the  county  rendered  them  valid,  and  they  had  been 
negotiated  for  a*|Valuable  consideration  before  the  maturity, 
without  other  notice,  such  as  the  law  charges,  the  county  could 
not  interpose  a  defense  to  them  in  the  hands  of  such  holder.  The 
court  held  the  bonds  to  be  absolutely  void  in  the  hands  of  any 
one,  though  the  county  had  made  one  or  more  payments  thereon. 
This  decision  implies  that  illegal  bonds  void  ab  initio,  may  be 
defended  against  in  the  hands  of  innocent  holders. 

In  the  case  of  the  Q.,  M.  &  P.  R.  R.  Co.  vs.  I.  N.  Morris,  84 
111.  p.  420.  The  courts  say  that  under  the  constitution  of  1870, 
which  prohibits  municipal  subscription  to  railroad  companies  or 
private  corporations,  except  on  a  vote  of  a  people,  &c.,  had  prior 
to  the  adoption  of  that  constitution,  and  which  operates  to  pro- 
hibit any  such  subscription  unless  upon  a  fair  vote  in  reference 
thereto  was  had  under  existing  law — a  mere  voluntary  vote, 
even  though  directed  by  an  ordinance  of  a  city  in  which  the 
proposition  was  pending  would  not  avail  to  remove  the  restriction. 
But  that  under  the  24th  section  of  the  schedule  the  vote  of  the 
1 3th  of  December,  1869,  in  pursuance  of  an  ordinance  of  the 
city,  but  not  under  any  existing  law,  was  valid  and  effectual  for 
the  purposes  of  such  subscription.  So  it  was  held  that  a  sub- 
scription by  the  City  of  Quincy  to  the  capital  stock  of  the  Q., 
M.  &  P.  R.  R.  Company,  made  after  the  adoption  of  the  con- 
stitution of  1870,  in  pursuance  of  the  vote  of  that  city  on  the  7th 
of  Agust,  1869,  not,  however,  under  any  existing  law,  was  a 
valid  and  binding  subscription  authorizing  the  city  to  issue 


205 

bonds  therefor,  and  this  without  reference  to  the  validity  of  that 
part  of  the  statute  of  the  ist  of  July,  1871,  purporting  to 
legalize  the  election.  Furthermore  the  last  clause  of  Section 
24,  of  the  schedule  of  the  constitution  of  1870,  left  the  power  in 
the  legislature  to  authorize  the  City  of  Quincy  to  make  this 
subscription  precisely  as  it  was  under  the  constitution  of  1848, 
under  which  the  subscription  could  have  been  authorized  with- 
out any  vote  on  the  subject  by  the  people,  and  that  authority 
was  conferred  by  the  act  in  force  July  i,  1871.  The  court  finally 
decided  that  though  the  subscription  was  for  a  road  to  be  con- 
structed in  Missouri  from  a  point  opposite  to  Ciuincy,  that  was  no 
legal  objection  to  the  validity  of  the  subscription. 

Now  with  all  due  respect  to  our  Supreme  Court  and  its  de- 
cisions upon  these  municipal  bond  questions,  we  are  reminded  of 
a  story  told  us  by  a  venerable  colored  gentleman  all  of  the  oldest 
kind  we  knew  in  Kentucky.  Meeting  him  one  day  with  a  dead 
possum  in  his  hand  and  by  the  tail,  he  said,  "You  better  believe, 
Massa,  dis  old  man  had  a  hard  time  in  gittin'  holt  ob  dis  possum. 
Sar,  he  was  away  up  in  de  top  ob  a  'simmon  tree,  an'  I  seed  him 
dar,  an'  my  dog  an'  me  'spected  to  git  him  dreckly,  an'  I  shook  de 
tree,  an'  shook  an'  shook,  and  when  shaken  loose  his  holts,  by 
Ginny,  Massa,  he  jest  laid  holt  ob  a  lim'  wid  his  tail  an'  held 
an'  held  an'  holded  on  till  I  had  to  cut  down  dat  'simmon  tree, 
an'  den  I  fetched  him,  an'  here  he  is,  Massa." 

I  venture,  even  in  the  face  of  my  abhorrence  of  gratuitous 
and  unauthorized  lectures,  but  still,  in  view  of  our  history  as  a 
town  and  as  a  city,  to  make  a  few  perhaps  needful  suggestions 
to  our  people  and  to  those  who  shall  come  after  us.  I  remem- 
ber that  in  all  free  communities,  governed  by  the  consent  of 
their  people,  that  the  benefits  of  such  government  must  neces- 
sarily carry  with  those  benefits  a  corresponding  obligation,  rest- 
ing upon  each  and  all.  Quincy,  like  all  other  municipalities 
without  permanent  outside  resources,  is  entirely  dependent  upon 
the  taxpayers.  All  such  cities  have  to  depend  upon  taxation  for 
the  support  of  its  government.  The  government  of  the  city,  and 
the  city  itself,  has  nothing  but  what  it  receives  from  the  tax- 
payers. These  taxes  when  collected  are  a  trust  fund  for  the 
benefit  of  the  people  of  the  city,  to  be  wisely  and  honestly  used. 
Hence  no  man  has  a  right  to  demand  or  receive  from  the  city 
something  for  nothing.  To  do  so  is  like  begging  from  a  beggar. 
Can  anything  be  meaner  than  that.  No  man,  before  he  is  law- 
fully chosen,  has  a  right  to  demand  an  office.  At  most  he  may 


206 

be  a  candidate  for  office  and  to  make  it  a  business  to  seek  to 
live  upon  the  city's  money  by  hook  or  by  crook,  without  ren- 
dering adequate  service,  makes  the  seeker  a  public  cheat.  In 
regard  to  our  poor,  for  which  some  sort  of  provision  is  made 
by  all  civilized  communities,  they  form  an  exception  to  the  gen- 
eral rule;  some  provision  must  be  made  for  them  and  must  sub- 
stantially stand,  though  not  always  wisely  made  or  administered. 
The  painstaking  and  industrious  who  accumulate  property  for 
wife  and  children  must  see  to  it,  that  the  "city  goose"  which 
lays  its  golden  egg  each  day  in  the  lap  of  honest  labor,  shall  not 
be  killed  by  unwise  and  exorbitant  taxes  at  the  hands  and  for  the 
support  of  mere  idle  political  loafers,  a  class  too  common  in  all 
cities,  great  and  small.  But  through  all  and  to  the  end  let  us 
hope  for  the  prosperity  of  our  well-beloved  and  beautiful  City  of 
Quincy.  Like  most  of  our  municipal  corporations  and  city 
governments  in  the  United  States,  Quincy  has  made  many  sad 
mistakes,  some  of  them  almost  as  fatal  as  that  of  our  first 
parents  in  the  Garden  of  Eden,  when  they  plucked  and  ate  the 
forbidden  fruit.  Nature  has  given  us  as  nearly  a  Garden  of 
Eden  as  can  elsewhere  be  found.  The  forbidden  fruit  for  us 
was  city  debt.  But  our  location,  though  upon  the  great  river, 
was  two  degrees  south  and  about  as  many  degrees  west  of  Chi- 
cago and  the  lakes,  whilst  we  are  two  degrees  north  and  more 
than  one  degree  west  of  St.  Louis — the  great  natural  through 
line,  substantially  upon  the  fortieth  degree  of  north  latitude  run- 
ning through  us.  Yet,  for  a  time,  Quincy  was,  as  it  were,  in  a  rich 
pocket  of  the  best  agricultural  land  in  America,  with  no  other 
outlet  for  trade  and  commerce  than  the  river,  which  was  only 
navigable  one-half  the  year,  and  besides  our  only  market  was 
St.  Louis,  and  though  for  a  number  of  years  of  the  trade  of  the 
upper  Mississippi,  especially  from  the  Rapids  down,  Quincy 
contributed  more  than  one-half  of  the  whole,  in  the  St.  Louis 
newspapers  Keokuk  was  credited  for  it  all,  and  Quincy  scarcely 
even  mentioned.  It  was  very  natural  that  our  people  should 
begin  to  grow  impatient  and  to  move  in  the  matter  of  railroad 
subscriptions.  After  the  building  of  our  first  road,  it  was  the 
opinion  of  many  that  all  other  roads  we  needed  would  come  in 
time  without  local  subscriptions,  if  we  would  only  be  a  little 
patient  and  wait  a  little  longer.  But  in  any  view  of  the  case 
now,  all  must  agree  that  the  city  has  largely  increased  in  manu- 
factures, trade  and  in  population,  and  to  a  great  extent,  no  doubt, 
owing  to  our  railroad  facilities.  We  have  thrown  off  our  old 


207 

time  dependence  upon  St.  Louis  and  Chicago,  making  and  oc- 
cupying a  center  of  our  own,  and  are  now  going  alone,  and 
from  this  time  forth  we  must  mainly  go  it  alone,  more  and 
more.  Already  our  wholesale  business,  as  stated  in  my  first 
chapter,  is  very  reputable,  and  will  and  must  increase ;  our  man- 
ufactures have  the  good  will  of  all  and  the  best  wishes  of  every- 
one. In  them  lies,  as  before  suggested,  our  strength  and  our 
hopes  for  the  permanent  prosperity  of  the  town. 

It  would  not  be  proper  for  me  in  these  sketches  to  omit  say- 
ing a  word  about  three  of  our  private  corporations,  which, 
though  private,  yet  largely  partake  of  a  somewhat  public  char- 
acter. And  first  of  the  Quincy  Gaslight  and  Coke  Company. 
This  company  has  been  in  successful  operation  here  for  nearly 
thirty  years,  and  has  given  almost  entire  satisfaction  to  private 
consumers — its  occasional  contests  with  the  city  authorities  upon 
the  rates  charged  for  street  lights  seem  not  peculiar  to  this 
locality.  Of  the  merits  of  the  contest  I  am  unable  to  decide,  as 
I  do  not  know  enough  about  the  actual  cost  to  the  company  in- 
volved. Of  one  thing  I  am  certain,  and  that  is  the  city  can  not  now 
get  along  without  illuminating  gas,  though  of  another  kind  we 
have  always  had  enough,  without  ostensible,  though  not  prob- 
ably without  great  cost.  Our  next  oldest  corporation  of  this 
somewhat  quasi-public  character  is  our  Street  Railway  and 
Carrying  Company.  This  company  commenced  business  or 
was  opened  from  the  old  postoffice  building  on  Maine  street  to 
the  north  limits  of  the  city  in  1867.  The  track  was  not  then 
extended  east  on  Maine  street  farther  than  the  old  postoffice. 
We  had  a  young  friend  from  St.  Louis  on  a  visit  to  Quincy  and 
desiring  to  come  out  to  our  residence,  east  of  Sixteenth  street 
and  seeing  a  car  at  Fifth  street,  turning  east  on  Maine,  thought 
he  would  ride  out  to  see  us.  Jumping  in  the  car  he  was  pretty 
soon  surprised  to  find  that  the  road  only  came  his  way  a  little 
over  a  block,  and  he  had  to  walk  out,  but  said  it  way  the  short- 
est ride  he  ever  took  for  even  five  cents.  The  track  of  this 
road  now  covers  about  six  miles.  Though  the  road  has  not 
probably  been  very  profitably  operated,  so  far  as  the  stock- 
holders are  concerned,  it  has  always  been  well  conducted.  The 
people  living  on  the  line  and  upon  adjacent  streets,  embracing 
many  thousands  would  feel  the  loss  of  this  road  very  much.  In 
time  it  is  hoped  that  the  stockholders  will  have  their  reward  for 
their  patience  and  good  management.  Of  the  Water  Works 
Company  much  discussion  has  been  had  among  our  people 


208 

without  knowing  much  about  the  actual  cost  and  the  expense  of 
running  the  works.  I  think  there  is  a  very  general  feeling 
among  our  people  that  the  amount  charged  per  hydrant  for  water 
is  too  much,  and  in  consequence  some  discontent  has  prevailed. 
It  is  believed  and  expected  that  in  a  short  time  a  better  under- 
standing and  a  more  harmonious  action  will  ensue  as  between 
the  city  and  this  company,  now  beginning  to  be  felt  as  a  neces- 
sity. Having  got  along  as  a  city  to  a  point  where  we  can  boast 
of  our  fire  department,  we  are  compelled  to  have  water.  A  fire 
department  without  any  water  would  be  an  anomaly.  Indeed 
Quincy  without  water  works,  a  fire  department  and  the  gas 
works  would  be  not  only  in  the  dark,  but  so  far  behind  the  age 
that  we  would  really  feel  ashamed  of  ourselves.  Besides  the 
supply  of  water  for  the  use  of  the  city  in  cases  of  fire,  the  water 
works  are  now  and  will  continue  to  be  almost  a  necessity  in  pri- 
vate families.  Let  us  then  not  so  much  expect  to  do  without 
water,  as  hope  to  get  better  terms — the  best  we  can  for  both 
sides.  The  city  must  expect  to  pay  a  reasonable  price  for  a 
water  supply.  The  company  must  expect  opposition  if  an  un- 
reasonable price  is  demanded. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


£BOUT  January,  1869 — over  ten  years  ago — through  the  courtesy  of 
the  Quincy  Whig,  there  was  published  short  sketches  of  bench  and 
bar,  written  by  the  author  of  this  book,  embracing  deceased 
judges  and  lawyers  who  had  resided  here  or  who  had  appeared  in  the 
Adams  County  Circuit  Court  since  the  beginning.  Those  old  sketches  em- 
braced the  following  judges :  Richard  M.  Young,  James  H.  Ralston,  Jesse 
B.  Thomas,  Norman  H.  Purple,  William  A.  Minshall,  and  Peter  Lott. 
And  lawyers :  Archibald  Williams,  James  W.Whitney,  Robert  R.Williams, 
William  A.  Richardson,  George  W.  P.  Maxwell,  Charles  Gilman,  Philo  A. 
Goodwin,  Abram  Jonas,  Edward  D.  Baker,  N.  Bushnell,  Josiah  Lamborn, 
James  A.  McDougal,  Cyrus  Walker,  Sidney  Little,  Murray  McConnell, 
William  Darling,  Jacoby  Hallack,  Isaac  M.  Grover,  George  C.  Dixon,  Robert 
S.  Blackwell,  and  a  few  others,  all  then  dead.  To  complete  the  series,  the 
following  sketches  embrace  those  who  have  died  since  1869.  All  these 
sketches  will  now  be  at  the  command  of  our  local  lawyers  should  they 
deem  them  of  sufficient  special  value  to  be  preserved  in  pamphlet  form. 
This  chapter  also  contains  "a  last  word,"  and  some  old-time  poetry  hereto- 
fore published,  as  also  some  concluding  matter  in  correction. 

EBENEZER  MOORE. 

This  gentleman  was  for  a  time  a  law  partner  of  the  writer.  He  was  the 
first  Mayor  of  our  city,  a  native  of  the  State  of  Maine  and  a  well  read 
lawyer  and  gentleman.  He  never  claimed  to  be  or  was  among  our  greatest 
lawyers,  but  was  a  very  reliable  and  safe  man,  modest,  reserved,  honest 
and  true.  After  residing  here  for  many  years  he  removed  to  Washington 
City,  where  he  was  for  a  time  employed  in  one  of  the  government  depart- 
ments, dying  suddenly  of  cholera,  I  believe,  in  the  year  1867. 

HORACE  S.  COOLEY. 

This  gentleman  resided  here  for  a  number  of  years  and  practiced  law  in 
our  courts  for  a  time.  He  became  Secretary  of  State  for  Illinois  and  Adju- 
tant General.  Was  for  a  time  a  law  partner  of  Philo  A.  Goodwin.  At  one 
time  he  became  the  owner  of  the  ten  acres  of  land  now  held  by  the 
Collins'  estate,  on  the  corner  of  Maine  and  Eighteenth  streets.  This  he 
intended  for  a  permanent  home,  but  afterwards  by  his  election  to  the  office 
of  Secretary  of  State  was  compelled  to  reside  in  Springfield,  and  dying 
before  his  return  here,  this  beautiful  tract  was  sold.  General  Cooley  was 

a  tall  and  handsome  man,  very  popular  with  his  party,  a  very  good  and 
14 


210 

popular  speaker  upon  the  stump  and  at  the  bar,  and  much  loved  by  his 
numerous  friends  as  a  kind-hearted  and  worthy  gentleman.  Dying  young, 
he  had  not  fought  his  way  to  the  top  of  his  profession,  but  he  was  a  man 
of  talent,  well  educated,  coming  from  New  England,  whence  came  Bush- 
nell  and  others  of  the  Quincy  bar,  who  gave  a  good  account  of  themselves 
during  their  residence  among  us. 

STEPHEN  A.  DOUGLAS. 

I  first  met  Mr.  Douglas  at  Jacksonville  during  the  year  1835.  He  was  a 
candidate  for  the  Legislature,  and  the  only  Democrat  elected  that  year  from 
Morgan  county.  He  was  the  handsomest  little  man  I  ever  saw,  and  the 
name  of  the  "Little  Giant"  applied  to  him  afterwards  was  not  misapplied. 
No  one  can  present  an  adequate  account  of  Mr.  Douglas  within  the  compass 
of  the  short  sketch  allowed  me.  As  judge  and  lawyer  he  was  less  dis- 
tinguished than  as  a  statesman  and  politician,  but  take  him  all  in  all,  that 
distinguished  place  he  took  and  held  by  the  sheer  force  of  his  being  was 
indisputably  his  due.  Stephen  A.  Douglas  was  in  many  respects  one  of 
the  greatest  men  in  America.  He  seemed  to  wield  a  sort  of  supernatural 
and  indomitable  power  over  the  views  and  conduct  of  the  masses  of  men. 
He  loved  the  Democratic  party,  and  tried  hard  to  tide  it  over  the  breakers 
ahead.  He  would  have  gathered  all  its  factions  under  his  wings,  but  for 
the  first  time  he  found  this  impossible.  As  representative  in  the  lower 
house  of  Congress  and  in  the  Senate  his  record  is  voluminous,  and  his 
battles  there  were  fought  like  the  battles  of  the  gods.  I  have  doubted  the 
propriety  of  my  attempting  to  deal  with  my  subject  at  all,  but  as  Mr. 
Douglas  was  among  us  here  on  the  bench,  represented  our  district  in 
Congress,  became  United  States  Senator,  I  might  not  pass  over  his  great 
name  in  connection  with  our  bench  and  bar.  I  can  not  claim  him  as  a  life 
long  friend,  politically,  yet  I  invoke  every  Illin.oisan  to  cast  aa  immortelle 
upon  his  grave. 

JUDGE  SKINNER. 

Onias  C.  Skinner,  so  well  known  here  and  whose  decease  occurred  not 
long  ago,  deserves  a  larger  notice  as  judge  and  lawyer  than  I  can  give  here. 
As  both  lawyer  and  judge  he  was  held  in  very  high  esteem  by  the  whole 
State.  He  was  a  strong,  self-made,  superior  man,  on  the  Supreme  bench, 
in  the  Legislature,  and  in  our  last  Constitutional  convention.  But  much 
has  been  written  about  him,  and  more  will  be  written  by  abler  pens  than 
mine.  I  speak  of  him  as  the  lawyer  and  judge  only.  His  life  of  success 
demands  a  full  biography,  which  I  cannot  write.  There  are  others  who 
will  perform  this  duty. 

HON.  ISAAC  N.  MORRIS. 

Of  this  gentleman  it  is  not  too  much  for  me  to  say  that  he  was  a  remark- 
able man,  well  educated  and  inheriting  from  his  father,  Senator  Morris  of 
Ohio,  both  strength  of  intellect  and  indomitable  will.  Like  his  father, 
Isaac  N.  Morris  was  an  unquestionable  Democrat,  but  never  objectively  a 
pro-slavery  one.  He  was  willing  to  let  slavery  alone  as  a  strictly  State  in- 
stitution, but  at  the  bottom  of  his  Democracy  he  found  no  principle  which 
bound  him  to  help  extend  the  cause  of  aggressive  slavery.  He  served  two 
or  more  terms  in  the  lower  house  of  Congress,  acting  generally  in  harmony 
with  his  party.  When  the  war  of  the  rebellion  came,  Mr.  Morris  promptly 


211 

arrayed  himself,  by  patriotic  speeches,  on  the  side  of  his  country.  He  was 
for  the  United  States,  and  against  the  so-called  Confederate  States.  He  had 
became  personally  acquainted  with  the  leaders  of  the  threatened  rebellion 
whilst  at  Washington,  and  was  not  surprised  at  the  attempted  secession 
and  war  which  necessarily  followed  when  the  attempt  was  really  made. 
Of  his  courage  and  perseverance  in  any  cause  which  enlisted  him,  no  one 
who  knew  Isaac  N.  Morris  ever  doubted.  For  a  long  time  he  was  the  idol 
of  his  party  in  his  district,  hospitable  and  kind  to  his  friends,  and  rather 
a  hard  subject  for  his  enemies.  During  the  later  years  of  his  life  he  suf- 
fered from  sickness  and  ill  health,  and  finally  a  few  years  ago  died  at  his 
home  here.  Of  Isaac  N.  Morris  as  a  lawyer  we  may  say,  that  like  all  men 
of  the  profession  who  in  early  life  go  into  politics,  he  never  attained  in 
the  courts  a  very  high  standing,  though  as  a  well  educated  and  well  read 
lawyer  in  the  elementary  principles  of  the  law  he  was  a  good  lawyer.  His 
jury  speeches  were  forcible,  and  he  always  made  a  gallant  fight  to  win  his 
case.  Had  he  never  gone  into  politics,  and  had  he  "boned  the  books"  like 
many  others,  no  doubt  his  rank  as  a  lawyer  would  have  been  very  high. 

CALVIN  A.  WARREN, 

As  a  natural  humorist  and  wit,  has  never  had  his  equal  at  our  bar.  His 
mind  and  mental  habits  seemed  to  make  it  impossible  for  him  to  keep 
back  a  flow  of  wit  and  humor  as  from  an  inexhaustible  fountain.  His 
manner  and  expression  of  face,  which  no  one  ever  could  imitate,  seemed 
to  give  life  to  every  funny  thing  he  did  or  said.  As  illustrative  of  Mr. 
Warren's  peculiar  and  apparently  irresistible  disposition  to  quaint  thoughts 
even  as  a  boy,  he  once  told  me  of  a  circumstance,  which  he  never  forgot. 
When  quite  a  small  boy  he  went  to  a  monkey  show,  and  the  red  and 
striped  mojikeys,  as  he  called  them,  with  their  peculiar  antics  and  move- 
ments upon  the  spring-board,  where  they  were  fastened  during  the 
exhibition,  so  impressed  him  that  he  could  not  keep  them  out  of  his  mind 
for  a  long  time  afterwards.  Soon  after  he  had  seen  the  monkeys,  he  went 
with  his  mother  to  the  first  funeral  he  had  ever  attended.  Little  boy  as 
he  was,  he  felt  the  solemnity  of  the  occasion,  and  finally,  when  the  people 
all  knelt  down  in  prayer,  he  shut  his  eyes  like  the  rest,  but  no  sooner  did 
he  close  them  than  to  his  mental  vision  there  appeared  the  monkeys, 
cavorting,  grinning  and  shuffling  about  all  over  the  black  coffin  which  held 
the  dead  person.  He  tried  hard  to  keep  quiet,  and  especially  not  to  laugh, 
but  finally  one  old  monkey  in  the  vision  got  hold  of  another  one's  tail  and 
gave  it  a  bite,  and  at  this  he  could  hold  in  no  longer,  but  burst  out  in  a  loud 
laugh,  to  the  astonishment  of  everybody,  when  his  mother  took  him  by 
the  hand  and  led  him  home.  His  mother  said :  "Calvin,  how  could  you  do 
so?"  Calvin  could  only  reply :  "I  could  not  help  it,  mother;  the  monkeys 
were  there  again."  Mr.  Warren  was,  in  a  peculiar  sense,  a  great  lawyer — 
not  a  great  book  lawyer,  but  with  the  jury  he  was,  especially  in  his  earlier 
practice,  generally  very  effective.  If  it  was  a  laughing  case,  he  always  had 
them  from  the  start.  For  some  years  prior  to  his  death  he  suffered  from 
one  or  more  partial  attacks  of  paralysis,  which  disqualified  him  from  ready 
writing,  and  also  occasioned  the  partial  loss  of  his  sight,  yet  even  to  the 
last  he  always  seemed  cheerful,  courteous  and  obliging  toward  his  brethren 
of  the  profession,  finally  dying  at  a  good  old  age,  respected  by  every 
lawyer  of  his  acquaintance  and  after  a  practice  in  our  courts  here  of  over 


212 

forty  years.  Mr.  Warren,  before  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  had  attended 
for  one  or  more  terms  the  law  school  of  Transylvania  University,  at  Lex- 
ington, Kentucky,  at  that  time  the  best  school  of  the  kind  in  the  entire 
West,  and  in  his  general  reading  and  intercourse  with  the  men  of  talent 
he  had  absorbed  and  made  his  own  very  large  knowledge  and  experience. 

'  RUFUS  L.  MILLER. 

Mr.  Miller  had  been  engaged  in  early  life  in  merchandising.  He  was,  I 
believe,  a  native  of  the  State  of  Maryland.  His  father  came  to  reside  in 
Quincy  when  Rufus  was  quite  a  youth — as  early,  I  think,  as  1837  or  1839. 
About  the  time  that  Rufus  came  of  age  he  become  a  partner  in  the  mer- 
cantile firm  of  which  his  father  was  the  head.  Some  time  after  the  firm 
had  been  dissolved,  Rufus  commenced  the  study  of  the  law.  Exactly 
when  he  was  licensed  to  practice  law  I  do  not  know,  but  some  years  before 
the  great  war  of  the  rebellion  he  had  removed  to  the  State  of  Iowa,  where 
he  resided  for  some  years  and  held  one  or  more  important  civil  offices, 
discharging  his  duty  with  general  acceptance.  When  the  war  broke  out 
he  went  into  military  service  as  an  officer  in  one  of  the  Iowa  regiments  of 
volunteers,  serving  with  honor  and  efficiency,  I  think  with  the  rank  of 
captain.  After  the  war  was  over  Mr.  Miller  retured  to  Quincy  and  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  law  here.  He  had  married  Miss  Pitney,  a  sister  of  War- 
ren Pitney,  Esq.,  and  also  of  Mrs.  Lee,  wife  of  Wellington  S.  Lee,  Esq. 
Rufus  L.  Miller  was  never  rich — the  battle  of  life  with  him  was  one  of 
labor  and  toil.  His  only  successful  adventure  was  one  of  the  heart,  in  that 
he  loved  and  married  his  excellent  wife  who  still  survives  him.  He 
brought  up  a  most  interesting  family  of  daughters,  and  these  and  his  be- 
loved wife  were  his  chief  treasures.  With  those  of  his  brethren  of  the 
profession  who  knew  him  best  he  was  much  loved  and  respected.  We 
think  he  had  no  enemies.  He  was  stubbornly  independent,  loyal  and  true 
in  his  general  conduct  and  political  principles.  As  a  lawyer  he  did  not 
reach  the  highest  grade,  but  in  later  days  he  was  found  to  be  much  better 
grounded  in  the  principles  of  the  law  than  many  who  apparently  out- 
ranked him  at  the  bar.  As  attorney  for  the  Quincy  Building  and  Home- 
stead Association  he  prepared  valuable  papers  and  instructions  to  meet  the 
changes  of  previous  legislation,  placing  the  institution  upon  sure  and  well 
regulated  forms  of  administration.  Mr.  Miller  was  fond  of  military  dis- 
play, and  frequently  acted  as  marshal  upon  Fourth  of  July  and  other  street 
parades.  His  last  appearance  as  chief  marshal  was,  we  believe,  upon  the 
Fourth  of  July,  1881,  having  got  up  from  a  sick  bed  to  command  the  pro- 
cession. I  well  remember  his  appearance  upon  horseback  upon  that  occa- 
sion. Weary  and  sick,  he  returned  home,  and  kept  his  bed  until  he  died, 
departing  from  this  life  not  long  after.  His  funeral  was  attended  by  the 
Quincy  Bar  Association  from  the  Cathedral  to  Woodland  Cemetery.  His 
was  the  first  death  that  occurred  among  the  actual  members  of  that  Asso- 
ciation, though  the  Association,  with  other  members  of  the  bar,  had  at- 
tended the  funeral  of  other  lawyers.  Indeed,  on  the  same  day  there  was 
carried  to  Woodland  Cemetery,  in  the  same  procession,  the  remains  of 
John  Conover,  a  worthy  member  of  the  bar  who  had  for  a  time  lived 
among  us  here,  and  whose  decease  was  lamented,  and  whose  memory  is 
cherished  by  all  who  knew  him. 


213 
WELLINGTON  S.  LEE. 

In  our  sketches  of  bench  and  bar  we  feel  ashamed  to  say  we  had  for- 
gotten the  name  of  Wellington  S.  Lee.  Mr.  Lee  was  one  of  the  handsom- 
est men  at  our  bar  in  his  day.  Young,  the  picture  of  health  and  manly 
strength,  he  attracted  the  attention  of  all  who  met  him.  We  are  at  pres- 
ent unable  to  state  exactly  where  he  was  born,  or  licensed  as  a  lawyer,  but 
we  think  in  the  State  of  Ohio.  He  was  a  man  of  decided  character,  up- 
right and  honorable,  but  not  as  profound  a  lawyer  as  he  would  have  been 
had  he  lived  till  this  time.  He  had  talent  and  a  degree  of  industry.  But 
he  had  a  hard  struggle  with  himself  to  go  slow  and  be  patient.  When  he 
came  here  the  ranks  of  lawyers  were  full,  and  there  were  here  many  older 
and  better  lawyers  than  any  new  beginner  could  be,  but  he  was  beginning 
to  take  a  respectable  place  among  them ;  was  quite  a  good  speaker,  and  had 
he  lived  would  have  made  his  mark.  When  the  war  of  the  rebellion 
broke  out  Mr.  Lee  became  an  officer  in  the  Third  Illinois  cavalry  regiment, 
going  forth  to  fight,  and  if  need  be  to  die  for  his  country.  He  became  after 
a  time  captain  of  his  company,  perhaps  ultimately  major  of  his  regiment. 
Once  during  the  war  he  returned  here  to  visit  his  family,  but  soon  went 
back  to  his  post  of  duty,  and  to  die.  Like  Delano,  he  fell  not  at  the  hands 
of  an  enemy,  but  was  shot  by  accident.  A  pistol  in  the  hands  of  one  of 
his  regiment  was,  in  handling,  accidentally  discharged,  the  ball  striking 
poor  Lee  and  inflicting  a  mortal  wound.  Yet  he  died  as  much  in  the 
service  of  his  country  as  if  he  had  fallen  in  a  charge  upon  the  enemy.  I 
do  not  know  how  many  of  our  people  here  yet  remember  Wellington  S. 
Lee,  the  lawyer,  but  there  are  but  few  among  us  more  worthy  of  being 
kindly  remembered  than  he. 

HON.  ORVILLE  H,  BROWNING. 

Perhaps  it  is  doing  no  injustice  to  the  memory  of  others  of  our  great 
lawyers — and  of  such  we  have  had  many — for  me  to  say  that,  in  my  esti- 
mation, he  was,  take  him  all  in  all,  and  upon  every  professional  side,  with 
court,  jury  and  witness,  our  greatest  lawyer.  His  long  residence  among 
our  people — a  residence  of  fifty  years,  in  active  professional  life — gave 
him  an  advantage  over  all  others,  so  that  comparing  him  with  other  great 
men  of  shorter  life  and  less  actual  experience  in  all  the  courts  and  with  all 
of  great  capacity  for  the  work  of  his  profession,  he  has  had  an  advantage 
over  all  others  here.  The  writer  commenced  reading  law  under  Mr. 
Browning  in  his  office  in  the  east  room  of  the  old  Land  Office  Hotel,  in 
Quincy,  in  November,  1834,  and  has  known  him  personally  for  as  many  as 
fifty  years,  living  in  his  family  for  a  short  time.  I  am  not  now  conscious  of 
any  intent  to  unduly  magnify  his  status  as  a  lawyer.  That  he  was  a  great 
man,  all  now  freely  admit ;  that  he  was  a  noble  man  in  look,  manner,  and 
above  all,  in  his  intercourse  with  others,  high  and  low,  rich  and  poor,  will 
be  conceded  by  all  who  ever  knew  him;  and  in  his  death,  which  occurred 
at  his  comfortable  and  hospitable  home  on  the  10th  of  August,  1881,  in  his 
76th  year  of  life,  the  whole  city  felt  that  a  great  and  good  man  had  fallen. 
As  I  learn,  a  very  full  and  no  doubt  able  and  eloquent  sketch  of  Mr. 
Browning,  which  the  writer  has  not  seen,  was  delivered  by  Judge  Law- 
rence before  the  State  Bar  Association  at  Springfield  not  long  since.  Mr. 
Browning  was  a  native  of  Kentucky.  For  a  time  he  was  a  student  in 
Augusta  College,  in  that  State.  He  afterwards  read  law  with  his  uncle,  the 


214 

Hon.  William  Brown,  at  Cynthiana,  also  in  that  State.  Was  there  licensed 
to  practice  law,  and  soon  after,  in  1831,  came  to  Quincy  where  he  has  re- 
sided ever  since,  or  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  His  knowledge  and  expe- 
riences in  the  ways  of  legislation,  in  the  rules  and  practices  of  the  various 
courts  and  his  knowledge  of  court  decisions  were  almost  without  limit. 
He  at  different  times  served  in  both  branches  of  the  legislature  of  our 
State,  and  during  our  Jast  constitutional  convention  to  amend  the  supreme 
law  of  Illinois  he  served  as  one  of  the  delegates  from  Adams  County.  He 
was  for  a  time  a  member  of  the  United  States  Senate,  and  during  the 
greater  portion  of  the  presidential  term  of  Andrew  Johnson,  he  was  one  of 
his  cabinet  ministers,  as  Secretary  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior.  Mr. 
Browning,  during  his  long  professional  life,  had  practiced  in  many  of  the 
circuits  in  Illinois,  and  on  occasions  both  in  Iowa  and  Missouri,  and  in  all 
the  courts — in  the  Appellate  Courts  and  the  Supreme  Court  of  Illinois  and 
some  other  States,  in  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  and  all  other 
courts  of  record  in  Washington  City,  and  always  with  marked  ability,  and 
always  with  success  if  his  case  was  one  in  which  success  was  possible. 

SETH  C.  SHERMAN. 

We  have  had  residing  among  us  several  lawyers,  now  dead,  who,  though 
men  of  ability  and  well  read  in  the  law,  did  not  in  the  courts  practice  law. 
One  of  such  was  Seth  C.  Sherman.  His  advent  here  was  in  the  capacity 
of  land  agent,  belonging  to  that  very  important  firm  of  Moore,  Morton  & 
Co.,  composed  of  Francis  C.  Moore,  Lloyd  Morton  and  Seth  C.  Sherman. 
Mr.  Sherman,  judging  from  my  long  acquaintance  and  intercourse  with 
him,  was  one  of  our  best  read  men.  His  law  learning  was  utilized  in  the 
conduct  of  his  business,  and  with  great  intellectual  force  he  united  a  love 
for  books.  For  a  long  time  he  had  the  best  private  miscellaneous  library 
in  Quincy.  Though  scarcely  known  to  the  profession  as  a  lawyer,  he  was 
yet  well  informed  in  all  the  fundamentals  of  legal  lore.  Mr.  Sherman  died 
here  only  a  few  years  ago,  much  respected  and  largely  known  to  not  only 
the  people  here  but  to  the  outside  inhabitants  of  the  military  tract.  He 
was  the  first  collector  of  internal  revenue  at  this  point  under  the  laws  of 
Congress,  discharging  his  duties  with  skill  and  fidelity. 

JOSEPH  B.  GILPIN. 

This  gentleman  was  best  known  here  as  a  land  agent  and  land  dealer. 
Though  licensed  here  to  practice  law,  he  but  seldom  appeared  in  court  in 
the  capacity  of  attorney.  He  did,  however,  from  time  to  time  consider- 
able office  business.  During  the  war  of  the  rebellion  he  held  the  im- 
portant office  of  quartermaster,  serving  in  the  South,  and  coming  out  of 
the  service  with  the  rank  of  major.  Joe  Gilpin,  as  he  was  familiarly 
called  by  his  old  acquaintances,  was,  I  believe,  a  native  of  Maryland,  and 
quite  a  Southerner  in  most  of  his  characteristics.  A  devoted  friend  to  his 
friends,  and  always  cheerful  and  full  of  fun,  he  had  the  capacity  of  making 
people  laugh  by  his  wit  and  crank  sayings  in  a  remarkable  degree.  I  re- 
member more  than  one  occasion  when  Joe  was  the  life  of  a  crowd,  on  a 
train,  a  steamboat,  or  in  a  fishing  or  hunting  party,  and  indeed  at  parties 
and  social  gatherings.  He  was  a  man  of  large  mental  capacity,  entirely 
modest  and  unassuming,  and  was  much  respected  by  his  acquaintances. 
He  died  here  only  a  few  years  ago.  It  is  not  too  much  for  me  to  say  he 
was  "Gentleman  Joe  Gilpin." 


215 

Before  the  last  word,  I  refer  to  the  statement  made  in  Chapter  I,  at  page 
18,  in  regard  to  the  number  of  the  population  of  Quincy  by  the  census  of 
1880.  In  stating  our  population  at  only  30,000,  having  seen  no  official 
statement,  I  had  accepted  what  I  supposed  a  true  statement,  seen  in  a 
newspaper.  Since  writing  that  chapter,  which  is  now  in  print  and  beyond 
my  control,  I  have  seen  another  newspaper  statement  that  our  population 
is  27,375.  I  find  still  another  and  later  statement,  purporting  to  be  made 
by  Assessor  Steinkamp,  making  our  total  population  30,879.  I  do  not  know 
which  statement  is  correct,  or  whether  either  is  exactly  so,  and  my  read- 
ers will,  I  presume,  have  to  wait  for  an  authoritative  statement  till  the 
official  one  is  made  in  print  at  Washington.  I  still  think,  however,  that  a 
careful  enumeration  would  now,  in  1882,  give  us  the  number  of  about 
33,000,  as  I  have  stated  in  Chapter  I.  I  also  here  state  that  a  number  of 
important  additions  and  changes  in  regard  to  business  firms  have  taken 
place  since  I  wrote  Chapter  I.  Like  all  important  and  growing  cities,  we 
are  now  too  large  to  count  all  changes  at  frequent  intervals. 

NOTE. — At  page  121  read  Rev.  Porter  Clay — not  Peter. 

I  can  hardly  claim  or  expect  entire  exemption  from  at  least  friendly 
criticism  of  this  little  book  from  my  readers,  and  with  all  due  respect  for 
all  such,  and  in  illustration  of  how  I  hope  to  be  able  to  feel  under  the  in- 
fliction, I  will  here  tell  my  last  story.  I  knew  in  Kentucky,  more  than 
fifty  years  ago,  an  old  bachelor  named  Hogg,  generally  called  "Uncle 
Tommy  Hogg."  He  was  very  deaf,  and  had  residing  in  his  family  about 
half  a  dozen  unmarried  nieces.  These  had  their  beaus,  who  often  came  to 
see  them,  and  one  Sunday  afternoon  quite  a  number  of  young  fellows 
were  gathered  in  the  large  family  sitting-room,  each  by  his  girl,  whilst 
"Uncle  Tommy"  sat  at  the  chimney-corner  by  himself.  One  of  the  young 
men  named  Tribbe,  having  heard  that  Mr.  Hogg  had  been  paying  atten- 
tion to  a  young  girl,  his  neighbor,  living  down  near  the  bridge,  and  think- 
ing to  have  his  joke,  called  out :  "Uncle  Tommy,  there's  a  fellow  that  will 
cut  you  out  down  to  the  bridge."  Putting  one  hand  to  one  ear,  Uncle 
Tommy  said :  "What  did  you  say,  Tribbe  ?"  Then  putting  the  other 
hand  to  the  other  ear,so  as  to  make  two  ear  trumpets,  again  said :  "What 
did  you  say,  Tribbe  ?"  Tribbe  repeated :  "There's  a  fellow  that  will  cut 
you  out  down  at  the  bridge,  Uncle  Tommy."  To  this  Mr.  Hogg  very  quickly 
replied :  "O,  well;  let  'em  cut  'em." 

SOME  OF  THE  AUTHOR'S  OLD  POETRY. 

When  Hampshire  street  was  being  graded  from  the  east  through  to  the 
river,  and  when  the  excavation  had  reached  the  ledge  of  rock  west  of 
Third  street,  the  work  was  suspended  for  a  time.  This  left  a  kind  of 
pocket  between  Third  street  and  the  ledge  of  rock.  One  of  our  old  citi- 
zens, Mr.  Wilson  Lane,  who  owned  the  lot  on  the  north  side  of  Hamp- 
shire, where  the  Kentucky  House  now  stands,  preparing  to  build  upon  it, 
dug  a  deep  cellar,  the  north  end  of  which  extended  to  the  old  bridle  path, 
which  traversed  in  a  winding  way  the  grounds  from  the  northwest  corner 
of  Third  and  Hampshire  streets  down  to  the  foot  of  Vermont. 

HOW  THE  HAWK-EYE  FELL  IN  THE  WELL. 
It  was  many  years  ago— when  Quincy  was  a  town, 
That  an  old  man  from  Iowa,  to  sell  his  skins  came  down; 
He  had  an  old  mare— on  her  back  an  old  saddle, 
And  all  around  about  the  place,  these  old  ones  did  paddle. 


216 

His  stirrups  were  of  rope,  and  the  irons  not  alike — 

And  the  old  fellow  called  himself  "bully  old  Ike;" 

He  was  exceeding  wicked — drank  liquor  a  good  deal, 

And  for  a  whole  week,  right  merry  seemed  to  feel. 

He  had  a  coon-skin  cap  with  the  tail  sticking  out, 

And  everybody  wondered,  to  see  him  strut  about; 

His  clothing,  like  himself,  to  the  people  seemed  quite  odd, 

For  he  looked  like  a  person  just  from  the  "land  of  Nod." 

In  going  down  the  hill,  to  his  tavern  and  his  bunk, 

While  walking  in  the  night,  in  a  cellar  down  he  sunk; 

He  had  hold  of  the  bridle,  and  leading  the  old  mare, 

Who  at  this  sudden  accident,  began  to  snort  and  stare. 

The  mare  held  him  fast  by  the  bridle  in  his  grip — 

He  felt  an  eager  hope,  that  his  hold  might  not  slip, 

And  then  began  to  pray,  to  yell  "a  few"  and  swear, 

The  mare  was  "worser"  scared,  and  backwards  did  rear. 

The  old  man's  feet  were  swinging,  he  thought  in  a  well! 

But  at  length  the  bridle  broke,  and  down  old  "Ikey"  fell; 

He  wasn't  hurt  at  all,  being  very  near  the  bottom — 

So  he  sloped  off  a  cry  for  help  by  exclaiming  "dod-rotem !" 

And  is  it  not  too  bad,  for  any  man  alone — 

To  make  so  loud  a  noise  as  that,  without  a  broken  bone. 

Next  day  he  cut  for  home,  scarce  stopping  to  look  around, 

But  swore  he'd  lick  the  digger  of  that  "hole  in  the  ground." 

He  has  never  since  returned  to  find  out  the  lark 

Who  dug  that  ugly  hole  that  trapped  him  in  the  dark. 

QUINCY,  December,  1848. 

Our  first  cemetery  was  what  is  now  called  the  south  half  of  Jefferson,  or 
the  present  Court  House  Square.  A  path  through  this  old  cemetery  led 
from  the  southwest  to  the  northeast  corner,  and  prior  to  the  date  of  this 
true  ghost  story  many  of  the  bodies  buried  there  had  been  removed— some- 
times the  graves  were  not  filled  up  after  the  removal  and  stood  open  for 
some  days. 

A  TRUE  GHOST  STORY  OF  QUINCY. 

A  citizen  among  us,  of  good  standing  and  well  known, 

Was  very  badly  scared  one  night,  while  walking  home  alone— 

'Twas  in  the  old  cemetery — where  the  dead — a  silent  host — 

Are  quietly  all  sleeping,  that  at  once  he  saw  a  ghost. 

He  never  did  believe  in  the  silly  tales  of  those 

Who  say  that  in  such  places,  in  their  snow-white  clothes, 

The  departed  may  be  seen  on  any  dark  night, 

Walking  their  rounds  as  sentinels,  poor  mortals  to  affright. 


217 

But  now,  alas,  before  him,  there  was  a  solemn  sight — 
A  tall  and  fearful  looking  thing,  all  covered  o'er  with  white! 
It  moved  its  long  and  waving  arms — its  head  between  upright, 
And  struggled  in  a  new-made  grave,  in  terror  and  affright. 

It  gave  a  loud  and  mournful  groan,  that  chilled  his  very  heart, 
And  seemed  to  be  inviting  our  friend  to  take  its  part. 
It  beckoned  with  its  hands,  and  nodded  with  its  head, 
And  by  mysterious  tokens,  for  assistance  strongly  "pled." 

Our  neighbor  was  no  coward,  when  faced  by  any  man, 
But  who  can  stand  a  ghost!  and  all  its  features  scan; 
He  stood  in  silent  wonder,  with  his  hair  straight  up  on  end, 
And  would  have  given  a  quarter  to  meet  with  any  friend. 

He  tried  awhile  to  "holler,"  but  his  throat  was  very  dry, 
And  his  lips  would  give  no  sound,  he  scarcely  could  tell  why; 
It  was  an  awful  thing,  but  it  could  not  be  a  corse, 
The  truth  at  length  came  to  him,  'twas  Skinner's  old  white  horse! 

Being  turned  out  to  the  grass,  and  while  wandering  about, 
He  had  fallen  in  the  grave,  and  was  trying  to  get  out; 
His  hind  feet  were  down  and  his  head  and  fore  ones  up, 
Having  got  into  this  awkward  fix  by  coming  there  to  sup. 
QUINCY,  December,  1848. 


AUTUMN. 

The  dim  skies  are  calm, 

And  the  world,  growing  old, 

Sends  out  odors  of  balm, 
With  its  colors  of  gold. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year, 

Though  the  rain-moistened  leaf, 
Drops  down  like  the  tear, 

Which  we  shed  in  our  grief, 

Still  Autumn  we  love, 

Though  winter  draws  nigh, 

With  its  snows  from  above — 
When  the  roses  all  die. 

In  the  autumn  of  life 

When  our  locks  turn  to  grey, 
We  shrink  from  the  strife 

That  falls  in  our  way, 


218 

And  hope  in  that  morn, 
When  life's  winter  is  past, 

To  enter  new  born 
Into  Heaven  at  last. 


WOODLAND  CEMETERY. 

Hail!  beauteous  garden  of  the  dead, 
Where  many  mournful  lines  are  read, 
Telling  that  all  once  lived  and  died — 
Here  sleeping  near  the  river's  side, 
And  like  that  river  at  their  feet, 
They  onward  pass  without  retreat. 

"God's  Acre"  called — His  holv  ground 
Where  faith  and  charity  abound, 
And  scarce  a  body  resting  there 
Not  watered  by  some  loving  tear. 

There  lies  before  us  many  a  grave, 
Where  sleep  the  faithful  and  the  brave, 
Which  raise  our  thoughts  and  touch  the  heart 
And  make  it  beat  with  aching  smart. 

Here,  too,  the  father  of  the  town, 
.   With  other  men  of  large  renown, 
Are  gathered  by  that  Reaper  stern, 
Who  cuts  down  each  and  all  in  turn. 


INDEX 


Page. 

Adams  County  Boundaries 9 

Adams  County  Organization 29 

Asher  Anderson's  First  Store 35 

Author's  Trip  from  Kentucky 49-52 

,  Author's  Description  of  the  Town  in  1834 52 

Author's  First  Election 83 

Author's  First  Trial 124 

Adjutan-tGeneral  Haynie's  Report 148 

Adams  County  in  War 147-150 

Andersonville  and  Jeff.  Davis 151 

Anti-Mormon  Meeting 166 

Anti-Catholic  League  in  1844 178 

Advice  to  Quincy 205 

Autumn 217 

B. 

Bauvet,  the  French  Trader 37 

Boston  Bay ...; ; ; 37 

Black  Hawk  War... •. 42 

Bennett's  Hanging.. 54 

1  Burning  the  Institute i 74 

Blacksmiths 103 

Brockschmidt,  Joseph 110 

Burton  Cave 127 

Budke's  Mistake 133 

Bartlett,  John,  Sr ; 139 

Browning's  Resolutions 145 

Browning  on  Internal  Improvements  in  1836 170 

Browning,  Sketch  as  Lawyer \ 213 

Brockman,  Tom 168 

Business  Men  in  1870 182-183 

Business  and  Men 11-21 

C. 

Commission  to  Locate  County  Seat... 29 

County  Commissioners 29 

Cremation 32 


220 

Circuit  Court,  First 36 

County  Business,  First  Store  License 39 

County  Revenue,  1826 39 

Congregational  Church 41 

Cholera 42,81 

Census,  1834-5,  '45,  '47,  &c 81 

Coldest  Weather,  The 56 

City  Charter 77 

City  Legislation 85-89 

Common  Schools 81 

Carpenters,  Old  Time 104-106 

Campaign  of  1840 173^174 

Corwin,  Tom,  &c 175 

Carver's  Grant 180 

Churches  and  Charitable  Institutions 184-185 

City  Debt,&c 189-207 

Cooley,  Horace  S ! 209 


D. 

Deeds,  Where  to  be  Recorded 9-10 

Drinking 40 

Dimock,  Gershom  B Ill 

Denman,  Sarah 112 

Douglas,  Stephen  A 209 

E. 

Early  Products  and  Bee  Trees 34 

Early  Settlers 53 

Exports,  First 42 

Eells,  Dr.,  Case 71 

Early  Business  Men 102,  183 

Early  Trials .« 127-128 

Errata 214-215 

F. 

First  White  Man  Here 5 

Fulton  County 8-9 

First  Frame  Building . 41 

First  Land  Sales 58 

First  Steam  Ferryboat 58 

First  Parties  Here..  63 

First  Fire  Department 76 

First  City  Charter 82 

Foot,  Rev.  Horatio 137 

First  Brick  House 41 

First  Daily  Paper 82 


221 

G. 

Galena  Lead  Mines  ........................................................................  39-41 

Great  Men  of  1834  .............................................................................  52 

Game  ...............................................................................................  59 

Giddinge,  Rev.  George  P  ...................................................................  135 

Gilpin,  Joseph  B  ..............................................................................  214 

Ghost  Story  ......................................................................................  216 

• 

H. 

Houses,  The  First  Three  ....................................................................  33 

Holmes,  Joseph  T  ..........................................................................  57,  67 

Hard  Cider  Campaign  .............  ........................................................  76-77 

How  the  Hawkeye  Fell  in  the  Well  ....................................................  215 

1. 

Indians  in  Early  Times  ...................  '.  .................................................  34 

Illinois  Bounty  Land  Register  ..............................................................  57 

Introductory  Chapter  .......................................................................    5 

J. 

John's  Prairie  ...................................................................................  30 

June  Freshet  of  1844  ........................................................................  80 

Joe  Smith's  Murder  ..........................................................................  80 

K. 

Kickapoo  and  Saukies  .......................................................................     7 

Keyes,  Willard  ...........................................................................  7,25-28 


Lindsay's  Story  .................................................................................     7 

Local  Laws  Minus  .............................................................................  53 

Langdon's  Fair  Book,  1867  .........................  .  ....................................  92-95 

Lawyers  in  Early  Times  ...............................................................  100-101 

Lincoln's  First  Speech  .......................................................................  173 

Lee,  Wellington  S  ..............................................................................  212 

M. 

Madison  County  ...............................................................................     8 

Mounted  Rangers  ..............................................................................  37 

Mississippi  River  ...........................................................................  38,  95 

Mormon  Advent  .....................................................................  75,  152-166 

Maine  Street  Opened  ........................................................................  80 

Memorabilia  ....................................................................................  90 

McFadon,  John  W  ......................................................................  106-109 

Moore,  Rev.  George  ...........................................................................  138 


222 

McDowell's  Baggage 177 

Municipal  Elections,  &c 177-179 

Morris,  I.  N 210 

Miller,  Rufus  L 212 

Moore,  Ebenezer 209 

MagnaCharta ,...201 


Nelson,  Dr.  David 66 

Negro  Sermon 60 

O. 

"Old  Pike's"  Boundaries 8 

Old  Time  Hog  Market . 113 

Old  Daddy  Phelps 125 

Old  Tom  Nowlan 129 

P. 

Pike,  General  Zebulon 5-6 

Patentof  Town  Site  to  County 30-31 

Proposed  Change  of  Constitution 33 

Preachers,  &c 40,120 

Postoffice,  the  First 40 

Population  in  1830 41 

Pease,  Captain  Nathaniel 57, 114 

Pearson's  Cold  Bath 123 

Pierce,  Mrs.  Earl 130 

Privy  Shears 174 

Progress , 188 

Possum  Up  the  'Simmon  Tree 205 


Quincy  and  Bounty  Land  Tract 7 

Quincy  as  She  Is 11-21, 102 

Quincy's  Original  Tract 30 

Quincy's  Steam  Mills 42 

Quincy's  Location,  &c 38 

Quincy  First  Incorporated 47 

Quincy  Argus  and  Pettit 64 

Quincy  Whig  and  S.  M.  Bartlett 75 

Quincy  Library 77 

Quincy  as  a  Refuge 81 

Quincy  Bridge  Record 95 

Quincy'a  Historical  Club ,-....101 


223 

Quincy  in  Times  of  War 142 

Quincy's  Committee  to  Nauvoo 162-169 

Quincy  Gaslight  and  Coke  Company 207 

Quincy  Street  Railway 207 

Quincy  Water  Works 208 

B. 

Residents  of  County  up  to  1825 22 

Rose,  Jeremiah 25 

Rice,  Joel Ill 

Religion,  &c 121 

Riot,  First 134 

Reform...  180 


S. 

Snow,  Henry  H 29,  30 

Sheriff,  First 29 

Sheriff,  Second 41 

Steamboat  Landing 31 

Sale  of  Lots,  First 31 

Steamboat,  First , 33 

Sucker,  How  Named 39 

School,  First 40 

Slavery  and  Missouri ! 65-67,  71 

Selling  Runaways 70 

Steam  Mills,  &c 115 

Steamboats,  Early 117 

Steamboat  Captains 118 

Steamboat  Quincy,  Trip  to  Warsaw 119 

Slack,  Lewis 134-135 

Sects  and  Schools 185-187 

Secret  Societies 187 

Sherman,  Seth  C 214 

Supreme  Court  Decisions 203-205 

Sketches  of  Lawyers,  &c.,  Before  Published 209 

Skinner,  0.  C 210 

T. 

Turner,  Asa 27,32 

The  Date  of  Deep  Snow 28 

The  Old  Sauk  Village 37 

Temperance  Society,  First 41 

Taxation  1834 49,98-99 

The  Lord's  Barn 67 

The  Wildest  Irishman 129 

The  Evangelical  Clergyman 130 


224 


u. 

United  States  Land  Office 42 

Universalism  in  Quincy 131 

Union  Meeting 146 

W. 

Work,  Burr  and  Thompson 72-74 

Wood,  John 23-25,28-31 

Whipple's  Old  Mill 33 

Whitney,  D.  G 42 

Wolf  Hunt '. 61-62 

Woods,  C.  M 82 

Weather,  Quincy  Bridge  Report 97-98 

Women  of  Quincy  in  War 152 

What  Some  People  Say  About  Our  Railroad  Debt 192-206 

Warren,  Calvin  A 211 

Woodland  Cemetery 218 


